The power to change the past
by Christopher12284
Summary: It's said that the past cannot be changed, but Kira Yamato and Murrue Ramius are about to do just that. When the Archangel II is flung into C.E. 71, Kira & Murrue are given a chance to change the past and possibly prevent countless deaths. Please R
1. Return to the Cosmic Era

**The power to change the past - Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam SEED or Gundam SEED Destiny, so please point that damned lawsuit cannon at someone else!

**Author's Note:** Before reading this fanfic, please read the following two fanfics; .net/s/5206070/1/Kira_and_Murrue_fanfic and .net/s/5233057/1/Kira_and_Murrue_fanfic_continuation, it will make this fic easier to understand.

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On the bridge of the Archangel, Murrue groaned quietly as she opened her eyes, then slowly got off the floor and looked around the Archangel's bridge, seeing that Meyrin had already recovered. Murrue sighed quietly. "Status report?"

"Well, according to our sensors, as well as our global, all frequency internet connections, the date is January 25th, C.E. 71." Meyrin answered, but she didn't really believe what the computer systems were telling her.

Murrue sighed quietly, and then she asked. "What is our current location?"

Meyrin again quickly replied. "About 100 miles from the Heliopolis Colony."

Murrue smiled slightly. "Set a course for the Heliopolis Colony."

Meyrin set the course then she turned to Murrue, who simply said. "Engage!"

The Archangel's engines roared to life, as the ship headed towards the Heliopolis Colony.

The Strike Gundam streaked from the Archangel, its dull grey armor turning a vivid red, blue, and white as the Phase Shift was activated. Kira anxiously watched the radar screen, waiting to see if there was any trace of the Aegis.

Murrue felt a knot in her stomach as she sat, watching the events unfold. A quartet of heat signatures had been detected approaching rapidly from behind them. She knew they had to be mobile suits.

"Load Corinthos into missile tubes!" Natarle commanded, "Ready Valiant cannons on both gunwales! Hurry and input target data! The enemy is sending more GINNs our way!"

Tolle and the others followed their orders and busily worked on their tasks, as the weapons were primed.

"Ensign Badgiruel," Miriallia called, "heat patterns have been identified, but they're not GINNs." Murrue and Natarle were baffled. "It's the X Numbers: X102 Duel, X103 Buster, and X207 Blitz.

Murrue felt a chill travel up her spine. "All of the stolen G weapons?" This indeed was turning into a dire predicament, as the three Gundams were now piloted by Coordinators, and each Gundam boasted its own power.

Kira felt grim at the news of the incoming Gundams, but he knew that he had to fight. He fired his vernier thrusters and took aim in the direction of the approaching Aegis, streaking past it.

Athrun contacted him. "Kira, hold your fire! We aren't your enemies!"

Kira sighed in relief; he knew Athrun wouldn't try to kill him.

"You're a Coordinator, so why are you siding with the Earth Forces?" Athrun went on, "Why are fighting alongside with the Naturals?"

Kira's mind went back to the sight of Heliopolis breaking apart. "I'm not with the Earth Forces!" he countered. "But I have friends on board that ship! That's why-" He broke off when he noticed three of the Gundams moving in to attack the Archangel. This was no time to argue, he had to defend the ship. He maneuvered the Strike towards it, only to be blocked by the Aegis. "Get out of the way, Athrun!"

"No, not until you fully explain yourself."

Kira was losing patience. "You're to talk, why are you even with ZAFT? You always said that you hated war all together."

Athrun didn't have the chance to reply, as a particle beam shoot in between them, just missing the Strike."

"Why aren't you fighting, Athrun?" Yzak's voice emitted over the radio. "What do you think you're doing?"

Kira quickly brought up the data on his screens. Of all the six Gundams, the blue and white colored X102 Duel had the most basic construction. It was similar in appearance to the Strike, aimed with a pair of beam sabers, one mounted on each shoulder, a beam rifle with a grenade launcher. In addition, it possessed incredible speed almost equal to the Strike. Kira did all he could to evade the Duel as it pursued him.

"If this is too difficult for you, then I'll shoot it down!" Yzak yelled as he continued to target the Strike.

The other three X Numbers, the Buster, and the Blitz, ruthlessly assaulted the Archangel. The ship may have been large and indeed powerful, but against three agile and heavily armed Gundams, it was going to be a daunting battle.

Murrue barked out orders. "Fire anti-beam depth charges; use the Igelstellung guns to hold those Gundams at bay! Fire the Helldarts on my command!"

The depth charges were let loose and detonated, scattering anti-beam particles, which then surrounded the ship. The Igelstellungs unleashed a vicious barrage as they tracked the enemy mobile suits' movements. Numerous Helldarts anti-air missiles shot out from behind the bridge.

The red and khaki colored Buster answered back with a shot from its beam rifle. The anti-beam particles did help weaken the beam, but part of it struck the ship's port side. The Archangel rocked violently from the impact.

The Blitz meanwhile, moved in underneath to attack the underbelly of the ship. The lower Igelstellungs tracked it and fired a volley. The Blitz's agility made it easy for it to dodge, and it opened fire with its own beam rifle.

Suddenly, multiple green beam blasts streaked out of the darkness, destroying the weapons on the Aegis, Buster, Blitz and Duel Gundams. Everyone stared in shock as a blue, black and red machine faded into visibility for a few short seconds before quickly vanishing.

Inside the cockpit of the Strike Gundam, Kira Yamato grinned. His older self had merged with his younger self, but he retained all of his memories and piloting skills. The same was true of Murrue Ramius, she had also merged with their past self, while retaining all of her memories and piloting skills.

"God damnit, where did those beams come from?!?" An irate Yzak Joule asked from the cockpit of the now disabled Duel Gundam.

"That doesn't matter, clearly the Earth Forces had more machines then these ones, and we have to retreat." The voice of Rau Le Creuset called over the comm. line.

The three machines moved to retreat, but as the Aegis turned back towards the Veselius, Kira sniped the head of the crimson mobile suit with a single blast from his beam rifle. "Athrun Zala of the ZAFT Special Forces, this is Kira Yamato of Celestial Being. Your machine is completely disabled, please surrender."

In response, the Aegis whirled around and opened up with its CIWS guns, but a fraction of a second later the 000 Gundam once again faded into visibility as it dropped the cloak of its Mirage Colloid and pummeled the Aegis with rail gun shells for a few seconds, before, once again vanishing behind its Mirage Coloid. The impacts of the rail guns shells quickly drained the crimson machine of power, causing its Phase Shift to power down. Kira sighed as he grabbed the Aegis Gundam around the waist and towed it back to the Archangel.

Murrue Ramius was waiting in the hanger when the Strike landed, and as soon as the cockpit hatch had opened, she floated up to it. As soon as Kira had freed himself from the harness she gently wrapped her arms around his waist, smiling at him as she whispered. "I bet it feels weird to pilot the Strike Gundam again."

Kira nodded, and as the two of them floated towards the Aegis Gundam, Kira replied. "Yes, it does." He paused for a few seconds, before asking. "What about the Gundams which were on the Archangel II?"

Murrue smiled, noticing that Kira's eyes were glowing with a golden light, which meant that he was using his Quantum brain waves, but she ignored it as she replied. "Well, the Gundams, and the Archangel II are all running on their Mobile Doll System, besides I figured that it would probably be better to have them stay hidden under their Mirage Colloid for the moment." Kira nodded, he had to agree he didn't want to reveal any of their more advanced machines, unless they had no other choice.

Kira floated over to the Aegis Gundam's cockpit hatch and quickly entered the access code. The instant that the hatch had opened, Athrun Zala leaped out, a Glock .40 caliber handgun in his right hand. Kira reacted instantly, grabbing the weapon by the barrel, but when Athrun moved his finger to pull the trigger nothing happened. Athrun looked down at his gun, and to his surprise, he found that Kira was holding the safety in the 'on' position, so that the gun wouldn't fire.

Kira smirked slightly as he said. "Athrun, stop fighting me, I don't want to hurt you." Athrun let a slight sigh escape his lips as he let go of the weapon, then he looked into Kira's eyes and asked. "So, am I your prisioner?"

Kira thought about that question for a few seconds, then he shook his head and replied. "No, you're not our prisioner, however, we will not allow you to take the Aegis back to your ship." Kira paused for a moment then he smiled as he continued. "Athrun, just so you know, the Archangel is no longer allied with the Earth Alliance."

Athrun raised an eyebrow, clearly confused, but Murrue continued. "Athrun, this ship is actually part of a private armed force known as Celestial Being and our goal is to eliminate war from the world."

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And so, Chapter 1 is complete.

I'm going to clear up a few things for anyone that might be confused.

Kira and Murrue have taken over the bodies of their younger selves, and the same is true of Shinn and Meyrin. The Ptolemiaos will not be reappearing unless the Archangel makes another jump into the Anno Domini timeline. However, the Archangel II is still around, as are all of the machines which were on the ship when it made its last jump.

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**AS ALWAYS, PLEASE REVIEW AND FEEL FREE TO OFFER ANY IDEAS!**


	2. Conflict at Artimis

**The power to change the past - Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny, or Gundam 00, so please point that damned lawsuit cannon at someone else!

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A few hours later, the Archangel and its crew welcomed the Eurasian officers that had been sent to oversee the docking of the unregistered ship in the Artimis base. Artemis itself was what many called a backwater base of little strategic importance. Its only claim to fame was its lightwave barrier defense system nicknamed the Umbrella of Artemis. It was a field of pure energy, one which weapons, including the most powerful beam weapons could penetrate. It was the pinnacle of defensive technology.

Murrue knew that the Eurasian forces would allow them to dock, their allies were very eager to welcome them. The umbrella was lowered and the ship coasted into the docking bay. No sooner had they landed, numerous armed soldiers and mobile armors surrounded the ship. It looked like they were ready to open fire at any time.

"What's all this?" Tolle asked, standing to get a better look.

"Captain!" Natarle whispered.

Murrue spun to the nearest Eurasian officer. "What's the meaning of this?" She demanded.

The officer narrowed his eyes at her. "I have to advise you to keep silent, Captain Ramius."

Murrue was speechless. They just escaped a dangerous situation a few hours before; she couldn't believe how stupid these people were.

Numerous armed Eurasian soldiers boarded the Archangel, rounding up the crew and civilians like cattle, then lead them over to the mess hall. Everyone was forced to sit quietly as armed soldiers guarded the entry. Murrue had demanded to know why this was happening and the answer from the Eurasian officers was that without proper recognition codes, the ship and its crew could not be verified. It was simply a matter of security measures, according to them. Murrue couldn't believe what she had been told. If commanders at Artemis truly thought the Archangel was an enemy ship, they wouldn't have even granted them the authorization to dock. She, along with Natarle and La Flaga, were then escorted to the office of Commander Gerard Garcia, the Commander of Artemis.

Garcia was a stout, thickly built, bald man, but he spoke politely. "Greetings and welcome to Artemis." He said, "To whom do I have the honor of hosting?" Murrue, Natarle, and La Flaga each introduced themselves. Garcia nodded and took a glance at the computer on his desk. "Well, your IDs verify that you are indeed officers of the Atlantic Federation."

"We apologize for putting through any inconvenience, sir." La Flaga said a note of sarcasm in his voice.

Garcia didn't seem to catch the sarcasm, but if he did, he didn't show it. "Not at all. We're honored that the Hawk of Endymion happened to come across our out of the way base. And that ship is quite impressive looking."

"We're on a special assignment." La Flaga quickly replied. "As such, we're not at liberty to discuss certain circumstances."

"But of course, however I feel that 'certain circumstances' may play a critical role in our alliance. Would I be wrong?"

La Flaga didn't have an answer for that.

Murrue stepped forward, doing all she could to keep things moving along without trouble, but just in case she did have her beam pistol ready. "We'll need to stock up on supplies and move on to lunar HQ whenever possible. As you may know already, Commander, ZAFT could still be pursuing us."

Garcia smiled. "Oh, is that so? You mean this ship?" He pressed a remote, bringing up a monitor mounted on the wall. On the screen was displayed the Laurasia-class Gamow. The ZAFT ship was not too far from Artemis. Murrue heard herself gasp.

The Eurasian Commander simply leaned back in his chair. "They have been there for some time, just circling the base. It's all they can do when the Umbrella is activated." He smirked at the nervous expressions on the face of his Atlantic Federation counterparts. "However, you do realize that you can't leave as well, even if you receive supplies."

As the Blitz launched from the Laurasia-class, gaseous streams sprayed from its jets, swarming around the fuselage. The particles surrounded the Blitz, and it began to disappear. Nicol checked the readings and found that the Mirage Colloid was working perfectly. The Mirage Colloid was a specialized stealth system that bent and warped all electromagnetic waves, radar waves, and visible light by using magnetic fields to render the Blitz invisible to all sensors, even the naked eye. Nicol made his way to the rocky surface of Artemis and searched around. Amidst the antennas and air ducts, he found the reflectors used to create the Umbrella's light wave barrier. He had to destroy as many as he could so that the others could join in the attack. He hefted the Trikeros (a combo beam rifle, beam saber, and lancer darts) attached to his shield and took aim.

Meanwhile, Kira was standing with Athrun in the hanger of the Archangel. He was trying to keep the armed Eurasian soldiers away from his friend. One of the soldiers tried to sneak past Kira on the right, Kira growled as he pulled out his pistol and shot the man in the kneecaps.

The other soldiers were stunned, but they quickly recovered and charged at him. Kira rolled his now glowing eyes as the entire base suddenly shuddered. The soldiers watched in shock and horror as a machine, which appeared to be the Strike Gundam, but was actually the 000 Gundam, suddenly materialized in the hanger.

Kira turned to Athrun and said. "Get to the Aegis you'll be safe there, but if you try to go back to your allies in ZAFT, you won't make it, because I'll take you out myself."

Athrun nodded in understanding, quickly moving towards the Aegis as Kira jumped into the now open cockpit of the newly arrived 000 Gundam. As Athrun started up the Aegis, there was a slight rumbling sound, followed by a dull tremor. Soon another and another followed.

"What are you doing?" Garcia demanded, his voice coming from the radio.

"It's obvious that we're under attack, you dumbass!" Kira shouted back, before switching over to another channel.

"Athrun," Kira said, his voice full of authority. "I'm not going to force you to fight against ZAFT, but if you attack me, I will disable your machine."

Athrun nodded slightly and after hesitating for a few seconds he said. "Well, then I'll just stay on the ship."

Kira nodded as Athrun powered down the Aegis and floated out of the hanger. Once Athrun had left the hanger, the 000 Gundam, which was still utilizing its holoshroud so that it appeared to be the Strike Gundam, seemed to dissolve into a cloud of glowing green particles as it underwent quamtiumazation.

Artemis had deployed every mobile armor unit available against the Blitz. However, its agility outclassed them and Nicol was able to easily dispose of them. Outside, the Duel and Buster had joined the fighting and stormed the fortress as well. Earth Alliance mobile armors and docked ships fell victim to the onslaught. The Duel and Buster easily laid waste to the Moebius mobile armors that came their way. The Duel was forced to dodge a flaming Moebius careening towards it. Yzak fired his beam rifle, destroying several more enemy units before he then targeted a Nelson-class warship.

However, before he could fire, the Strike Gundam suddenly appeared directly in front of him, opening fire with its head-mounted CIWS, forcing Yzak to take cover behind his shield. Once the Duel had backed off, it opened fire with its beam rifle, but to the surprise of the Duel's pilot, the Strike ignited a beam shield, blocking the attack.

"W-what the hell, our machines don't have those!" Yzak yelled as the Strike then began to glow with a bright red light. Yzak snarled as he freed a beam saber and ignited it, charging at the Strike and slashing. An instant before the beam blade struck, the Strike moved out of the way, leaving a trail of brightly glowing afterimages behind it. As the Strike stopped, the Phase Shift Armor on the machine's head crest changed so that it now displayed the words: Kira Jesus Yamato.

Yzak instantly noticed the change and screamed in rage. "SO, YOU THINK YOU'RE GOD NOW?!? WE'LL JUST SEE ABOUT THAT! PREPARE TO DIE, STRIKE!"

Kira smirked slightly as he effortlessly dodged the slash, he then opened fire with his rail guns, the shells slamming into the Duel's chest and forcing the machine back.

"What the fuck?!?" Yzak yelled in anger and confusion as the rail gun shells slammed into his machine, sending it tumbling away, Kira then freed a beam dagger from the left leg armor and threw the glowing blade at the Duel, hitting the floundering machine in the torso, just to the right of the cockpit. Unknown to Kira, a small explosion had occurred within the Duel's cockpit. The Buster Gundam quickly moved towards the Strike from behind. The Strike turned, almost casually, to face the Buster and raised its right hand, which now held a beam rifle. Kira sighed as he pulled the trigger, the beam blast instantly drilling straight through the Buster's head. An instant later the Blitz streaked in, clashing beam sabers with the Strike.

Meanwhile, Garcia tried to regain control of the situation. He stood in a control room with a number of his subordinates. "What are you doing, you imbeciles?" He growled. "A handful of enemies cannot take out this entire base!"

"Commander!" One of the officers screamed, pointing out the window.

Garcia and the others looked to see a flaming mobile armor spinning out of control, it was heading straight for them. In a cowardly move of self-preservation, Garcia fled as the unit smashed into the window. He was knocked violently by the explosion, but would survive. Some of his fellow officers, however, were not as fortunate.

Back at the port, the Archangel turned to launch. Murrue gave Kira the order to return, and he broke off his duel with the Blitz. Nicol attempted to give chase, but was cut off by an explosion. Kira landed on the ship and the Archangel surged forward, escaping the all but ruined Artemis base. The Blitz, Duel, and Buster escaped as well, but they had taken severe damage, in addition they had been forced to let their prey escape, much to the pilots' frustration.

Later when Kira safely brought the 000 Gundam, still disguised as the Strike, back into the hanger, he exited the mobile suit. Mu and Murdoch were there to greet him, he nodded towards them, but otherwise ignored them as he silently brushed past. He headed straight for the Captain's quarters. Two words echoed inside his head; race traitor. They were only words, and even though he had gone through this same situation before, those words still stung him deeply.

* * *

Chapter 2 is finally complete.

I'll try to finish these chapters and get them posted as fast as I can, all I ask is that my readers are patient.

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**AS ALWAYS, PLEASE REVIEW AND FEEL FREE TO OFFER ANY IDEAS!**


	3. The Pink Princess

**The power to change the past - Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny, or Gundam 00, so please point that damned lawsuit cannon at someone else!

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Kira found himself in an inescapable and dire situation. The Buster, Blitz and Duel had him completely surrounded. The Blitz pressed a close quarters attack, followed by the Duel. He could see the Buster providing long-range support.

Suddenly, alarms sounded loudly, but then fell silent. He realized his Phase Shift was gone and the enemies quickly took advantage of the situation. The Buster unleashed a volley of missiles, blowing away the Strike's left leg and arm, and disabling the Aile Striker Pack. The Blitz came in with its beam saber drawn and severed the Strike's right arm. The Duel then appeared and Kira tried to scream but couldn't when the Duel raised its beam rifle. The last thing he saw was a bright green flash.

Kira jolted awake with a scream, as he sat straight up in the bed. A cold sweat dripped from his brow as he felt himself over. It had all been a vivid and horrifying nightmare. Murrue had been awakened by Kira's scream and she was now gently holding him, in an attempt to help him calm down. Kira knew that he was safe, but he couldn't shake off the fright, he hadn't had dreams like that since he had first started piloting the Strike Gundam.

After a moment, he lay back down and tried to go back to sleep, but he couldn't. Instead his mind kept going back to the fact that after he had regained consciousness, when they had first come back to C.E. 71, neither he or Murrue could find their children. After just lying there for nearly five minutes, Kira sighed and sat up, and then he turned to Murrue, who was also sitting up, silently looking at him.

After a few seconds of silence, Kira quietly said. "As I'm sure you know, we are running low on supplies."

Murrue nodded as she replied. "Yes, Kira, I know, and I have come up with a unique solution."

Kira's eyes were now glowing with a golden light, and as he saw the plan in Murrue's mind he allowed a grin to cross his face.

"Disguising the Archangel II as a heavily damaged ship at the edge of the debris belt and allowing me to board it in order to get supplies." Kira chuckled. "I have to admit, that is a very unique idea."

A few hours later, the Archangel coasted through space. After escaping from Artemis, everyone was on edge at the thought of another enemy attack.

"It's confirmed, Captain." Miriallia reported, "There are no enemy units within a five thousand kilometer radius. It looks like we've finally lost them."

"Well, it looks like the pandemonium at Artemis covered our escape." La Flaga said, "We can at least be thankful for that."

A few hours later, a warning flash inside the Aegis's cockpit caught Athrun's attention. He looked at the monitors and was startled to find a new heat source nearby. The readings showed that a Reconnaissance-Type GINN was very close. Athrun soon spotted it among the debris. The mobile suit wasn't moving, but it still posed a threat. The salvaging wasn't completely yet, and if the GINN pilot found them and reported back, there'd be more ZAFT forces waiting for them. He aimed his beam rifle and targeted the enemy mobile suit.

He suddenly noticed movement, seeing a figure emerge from the wreckage of a civilian ship. Athrun magnified the image and could make out feminine features on the pilot's face. It was a woman piloting the GINN. Athrun gripped the trigger again; silently pleading for the pilot to leave. She entered her GINN, and began to pull away. That was until the unarmed Strike Gundam came into view. The GINN turned around and fired at the Strike, grazing it. Athrun didn't hesitate. He squeezed the trigger and a green beam pierced the GINN's head, he then fired another shot, this one tearing through the sniper rifle in the machine's right hand, completely disabling it.

In the Strike's cockpit, an alarm sounded, but it wasn't a mobile suit or a ship. Kira looked and found an escape pod drifting nearby, its distress beacon lights flashing.

_'I wonder what an escape pod could possibly be doing just drifting around out here.'_ Kira thought sarcastically as he cautiously moved in and took hold of the object, taking it back to the Archangel.

After the two pilots got back, Natarle glared at Kira as he stepped out of the Strike and floated down to the floor of the hanger. "You certainly have a habit of picking up strays." She scorned, but Kira glared back at her and replied. "Ensign Badgiruel, please shut the fuck up, because unlike you, I have a heart."

Everyone's eyes widened at Kira's outburst, but Murrue simply giggled to herself. That was one of the reasons why she loved Kira so much; he wasn't afraid to speak his mind when it came to saving lives. A moment later, everyone else exchanged nervous glances while Murdoch worked on opening the pod's hatch. Murrue and Kira both knew that the pod it wasn't booby trapped.

"Okay," Murdoch said, "I'm about to open it up." Armed soldiers raised their weapons as he typed the finals keys to unlock the hatch. It opened with a hydraulic whoosh.

A pink, round, and tiny robot fluttered out, flapping a pair of panels on its sides as though they were wings. "Haro, haro!" It chirped happily. Everyone stared in bewilderment, when a new voice broke the silence.

"Thank you very much." The soft voice said.

Everyone looked and saw a young girl with pink hair drift out of the pod. Her beauty and kind smile were captivating.

The mysterious girl hovered in the zero gravity. She wore a majestic white and lavender dress, and she looked the same age as Kira and the other students. Kira was quick to help her, leaping up, taking her wrist, and then gently bringing her down to the floor.

"Oh, why, thank you." She smiled, her icy blue eyes seemingly shining. Her expression then abruptly turned to one of confusion. She had glanced at the Earth Alliance insignia on Kira's uniform, then to the other crewmembers and officers. "So this isn't a ZAFT ship, I take it?"

Natarle let out a grave sigh, while La Flaga was simply puzzled.

Thirty minutes later, a group had gathered at the interrogation room's door. Kira and Tolle shoved at one another to get an ear against the door to listen to the conversation within. Sai and Kuzzey pushed from the back, while Officers Tonomura and Pal hovered from behind. Each one was curious of the young girl.

"Come on, don't shove."

"Can you hear anything?"

"What's going on in there?"

The door suddenly flew open, and they all tumbled to the floor. They looked up to see the icy stare of Natarle glaring down at them.

"You still have supplies to restock!" she harshly reminded them, "Get back to your posts!"

The group stood and hurried off, but not Kira. He remained where he stood, glaring at Natarle, and after a few short seconds she said. "Ensign Yamato, unless there is a problem, return to your post, now!"

Kira allowed a slight smirk to cross his lips as he whispered threateningly into her ear. "Natarle, I have led entire fleets into battle, I have also saved humanity from extinction three times and yet you still think that you can tell me what to do. You would be wise to remember that I wield more power in my big toe then you can possibly imagine."

La Flaga closed the door, grinning at the fact that the crew had been trying to eavesdrop. Mu hadn't heard Kira's exchange with Natarle, but he did notice that she seemed to be in slight shock as she sat down again. But the atmosphere became serious once more when Murrue brought the conversation back to where it had left off.

"Please pardon my crew, they're young and new at this." She said, "Now, you were saying?"

"My name is Lacus Clyne." The girl said. The tiny pink robot in her lap twitched and chirped. "And this is my friend, Haro."

Natarle sighed at the robot's display, thinking it absurd. La Flaga palmed his face, when something came to him. He looked sharply to the girl.

"Clyne, you say?" he asked her, "As in Supreme Council Chairman Siegel Clyne?"

The girl's face brightened. "Why, yes!" she exclaimed, "Siegel Clyne is my father. You wouldn't happen to know him, would you?"

All three Earth Alliance officers slumped their shoulders in disbelief. How could the girl assume that they personally knew her father simply because they knew his name? Was it all a tease? Before they could continue, the door flew open, and Athrun floated into the room. He ignored the others as he quickly floated over to Lacus and the two embraced each other.

Once they broke their embrace, Athrun blushed slightly and explained. "Lacus is my fiancé."

Murrue nodded and smiled as she said. "Well, you can stay with Lacus, but please don't interrupt the interrogation." Athrun quickly nodded in understanding as he took a seat beside Lacus.

La Flaga stood up straight and crossed his arms. "So tell us, what happened out there? Why were you in that escape pod?"

Lacus' smiled turned to a frown. "I was with a small crew to survey Junius Seven prior to the official memorial services." She appeared to be reluctant to continue, but Murrue ushered her on. "We came across an Earth Forces vessel, but not like this one. They claimed they were there to make an inspection, so I assumed it'd be all right for them to come aboard."

Murrue knew that the story was going to take a terrible turn.

"A number of Earth Forces officers seemed to take great offense to our mission when we explained the situation to them." Lacus continued, "An argument started, then followed by a scuffle, and then a fight broke out. It was just awful."

Murrue and La Flaga exchanged concerned glances, but Natarle remained indifferent.

"You must understand, no one had done anything." Lacus said, "However, the Earth Forces officers should've remained calm, but they did not. Before I fully realized it, I, along with several others, were shoved into personal escape pods. I only hope that everyone on the ship is still all right."

La Flaga bit his lower lip. Kira had mentioned the wrecked civilian ship and he wasn't about to upset her further with that news. With their primary questions answered, they decided to give Lacus some privacy. La Flaga watched as she stepped to the window, gazing out to the ruins of Junius Seven.

"Let us pray, Haro." She whispered to her robot, hugging it. "Let us pray for those souls so that they may now rest in peace."

Suddenly feeling ashamed, La Flaga slipped out quietly, closing the door behind him. A few hours later, the Archangel finally had gathered enough supplies to sustain the remainder of the trip and was ready to launch again. Before that, however, La Flaga had pressed that they should at least have a moment of silence for those killed in the Bloody Valentine. Miriallia released several dozen origami flowers that she and some of the refugees had made among the litter of the debris. The crew gave their respects for the dead, and then headed off on their trek once again.

Unknown to everyone but himself, Murrue and Athrun, while Kira was gathering supplies from the Archangel II, he had also picked up a pair of extra long life batteries, as well as the Infinite Justice Gundam, in addition to food and water. And over the past few days, he had secretly outfitted both the Aegis and the Strike with the long life batteries.

Now, Kira and Athrun were both was down in the hanger. Athrun sat in the cockpit of the Aegis, busily typing away on the keyboard, continuing to modify the Aegis Gundam's OS, while Kira sat in the cockpit of the Strike Gundam, modifying the Strike's OS. Kira only paused when he saw Murdoch appear in front of him.

"Yes, is something the matter?" Kira politely asked.

"No, I was just checking on you guys." Murdoch answered, "It looks like we'll join the Eighth Fleet soon, so you and Kira won't have to worry about these machines. That is, unless you two decide to stay on." He then left.

_'Of course I'm staying.'_ Kira thought to himself. He wouldn't mind returning to civilian life, but he had to protect Murrue, and he also knew that his friends would choose to join the Alliance. Athrun was thinking the exact same thing, he wasn't going to return to civilian life, because he now knew the levels of insanity that this war was going to escalate to.

Neither the Infinite Justice nor the 000 Gundam were in the hanger at the moment, both of the machines were currently patrolling the surrounding area under the cloak of their Mirage Colloid, both running on the Mobile Doll System.

A few hours later, the Vesalius detected the Earth Alliance ship on the radar screens. It wasn't completely expected, but it caught the ZAFT soldiers' curiosity. Meanwhile, Kira and Lacus stood on the observation deck. The current situation was all too agonizing, what with taking Lacus hostage when she had done nothing wrong. Kira couldn't stand by and watch her be used like a pawn again. "This is just wrong."

Lacus tilted her head, not quite understanding what Kira was talking about.

"Please come with me." He said, abruptly taking her hand. She nodded, trusting him.

They didn't even get off the observation deck, when La Flaga suddenly appeared. "Where you heading, kid?"

Kira stopped short, nervous. "Lieutenant, how long have you been there?"

"Long enough to hear the whole story."

Kira knew that La Flaga heard everything that he told Lacus, he also knew that that the Lieutenant would not go to the Captain, and even if he did, she would tell him to proceed with his plan.

"Don't worry; I didn't come here to spy on you." La Flaga said, "In fact I agree with you, as does the Captain. I just spoke with her and we discussed what we have to do with the girl here. It seems that you already have an idea, so I'd like to assist in any way possible."

Kira pretended to be surprised. "Really? Do you mean it?"

"Yeah." The Lieutenant said, "Using a girl as a shield is something that the bad guys in movies do. So I take it that you have an idea to sneak her back?"

Kira nodded and gave La Flaga a rundown as they went down the corridor towards the pilots' locker room. Kira and Lacus slipped inside as La Flaga served as lookout.

Kira pulled a spare spacesuit out of one of the lockers and held it out to Lacus. "Here, put this on over what you're wearing." He looked her over, knowing that there'd be no way possible to slip the suit over such an elaborate outfit.

She saw his confusion and knowingly grinned. As she quickly disrobed, Kira blushed ever so slightly and averted his eyes, more out of politeness then embarrassment. Once they had suited up, they rushed to the empty hanger. The plan was that La Flaga would come in later should anyone else notice their exit and pretend that he had no knowledge of what was happening. He would then board his mobile armor and be ready to take off should the need arise.

The two entered the 000 Gundam's cockpit and Kira started up the OS. He knew that it wouldn't be difficult to pilot the Gundam with Lacus inside the cockpit, considering how much experience he had, but even so he hoped that he wouldn't have to fight.

"What's going on here?" Murdoch's voice shouted through the intercom, "What are you doing, kid?" He and other mechanics and several soldiers had rushed in the hanger.

Kira switched on his external speakers. "I'm going to open the hatch! Everyone evacuate the hanger right now!"

Murdoch and the others immediately turned about face and made a mad dash towards the exits. Kira strapped the Aile Striker Pack to his mobile suit and stepped to the launch pad.

On the bridge, klaxons blared and everyone jumped out of their seats. On the screen everyone saw the Strike bolt out from the ship and streak away.

"Kira!" Natarle yelled into the intercom, "What do you think you're doing?"

La Flaga's face appeared on one of the monitors. "It looks like the kid's taken the girl." He said, playing innocent and combing his fingers through his hair. "We can't go after him yet, as the airlock's still open."

"What?!" Natarle gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

Among the confusion and noise, Murrue grinned. La Flaga combing his fingers through his hair was the signal that he and Kira had thought of a plan to get Lacus safety back to ZAFT. "Way to go, you two." She whispered.

Le Creuset had stepped out of the shower and was drying his hair when a summons sounded from the bridge. He switched on the radio. "Yes, what is it?"

"Sir, we've detected the mobile suit from the Earth Forces ship, Archangel. It's heading this way."

This was an unexpected move, one he hadn't foreseen. "I'll be there right away." He switched off the radio and swiftly dressed in his uniform. He then went over to his desk, pulled out a bottle of pills, and took two. The pain was numbed away as he put on his mask. With his composure securely in place, he went to the bridge.

Kira put his radio on all frequencies and switched on his intercom. "This is the mobile suit Strike of the Earth Alliance's battleship, Archangel. I have Miss Lacus Clyne with me and I am willing to hand her over." He paused, "Her release will come under two conditions, the first being that the Nazca-class will halt, and the second being that only the Buster and its pilot will come to meet with me." He hesitated before adding, "If both conditions are not fulfilled, then I cannot guarantee her safety."

Lacus knew that it was an empty threat. She understood what Kira was doing, and she trusted him to not harm her.

On the Vesalius, Ades and Le Creuset carefully listened to the message.

"What could they be up to?" Ades pondered.

Before the Commander could offer an opinion, Dearka's face suddenly flashed on one of the screens. He was currently standing at one of the communication stations within the hanger. "Commander, please allow me to go out. I know I can handle this."

"We still don't know what their intentions are." Le Creuset cautioned. "Nor do we really know if Miss Clyne is in fact aboard that mobile suit."

"Please Commander, I'm asking you to trust me on this."

Le Creuset seemed to contemplate the matter momentarily. "All right Dearka, you may go."

"Thank you, sir." Dearka saluted and the monitor then went dark.

"Are you sure of this, Commander?" Ades asked.

"No, I am not." The Commander twisted his to the side. "Stop the ship and prepare my CGUE just in case.

Ades nodded and saw to it.

Back on the Archangel, everyone watch intensely as the events unfolded.

"Captain, they're actually doing as he says." Natarle said to Murrue, "This would the perfect opportunity to launch an attack."

La Flaga chimed in on the intercom. "If we were to do that, missy, Kira may just turn around and attack us. But then again, maybe not."

Natarle was speechless. As a military officer, couldn't fathom someone like La Flaga regarding such a serious matter as though it was a simple joke. The ace pilot just smirked at her stupor and winked to Murrue.

Murrue let out a small chuckle. Of course, she had to outwardly appear displeased, but she secretly congratulated Kira on this. As she continued to watch Natarle go on and work herself into more of frenzy, she had to bite her lower lip in order to keep from laughing outright. Officer Pal reported that the Buster was closing in on the Strike, and Murrue hoped everything would go according to Kira's plan.

The Buster slowly approached the Strike, and Dearka stopped a short distance from Kira's cockpit.

"Dearka Elsman?" Kira hailed over the radio.

"Yes."

"Open your hatch."

Dearka obliged. His flight suit protected him against the vacuum of space, but the Strike's weapons could easily pulverize him. However he had faith that this pilot wouldn't do something that deceptive. He watched as the Strike's hatch opened as well and he saw Kira and Lacus inside.

"I'll hand her over to you."

Dearka removed his restraints, climbed out of the cockpit, and stood up next to hatch. Kira eased Lacus out of the Strike and gently nudged her to Dearka, who caught her. They both exchanged a smile before turning back to Kira.

"Thank you for everything, Kira." Lacus said.

By her tone, Dearka knew that Kira had treated her well. From what Athrun had told him, Kira had been the kind who was shy, sweet, and could be friends with practically anyone. And Lacus was no different.

Kira stood in the interrogation room, getting the third degree. Natarle was serving a prosecutor while La Flaga served has his defense. While he and Murrue knew that Kira was secretly working under their orders, Natarle had to be kept in the dark.

"The course of action taken by the defendant, Kira Yamato, was not only foolhardy, but it endangered the ship and the entire crew." Natarle said, shifting a cold glance to the boy, not noticing that his eyes were glowing with a golden light.

Kira scoffed as he muttered under his breath. "Please shut the fuck up, I already know that I won't get in any trouble."

To Kira's surprise, Natarle whirled to face him, but he allowed an innocent smile to cross his face as he asked. "Is something wrong?"

"What did you say?" Natarle asked as she glared at Kira, not certain that she had heard him correctly.

Kira continued to innocently smile as he replied. "There are no regulations for punishing civilians, so I'm not getting punished for doing something that I thought was right."

Natarle glared at Kira as he continued to innocently smile, she could see that this young man certainly had a problem with authority. Without any warning or hesitation, Natarle moved to slap Kira across the face, but the young Coordinator's reflexes enabled him to dodge, ducking under the blow and coming back up behind her. Kira grabbed Natarle's arm, twisting it behind her back, and nearly breaking it before he then tossed her aside, leaving her to stumble and catch herself on Murrue's desk.

"Don't try that again," He warned. "Unless you want to lose an arm."

Natarle glared at Kira, and he noticed something which closely resembled hatred in her eyes but the same time, it wasn't quiet as strong as true hatred. Natarle didn't make any moves to lash out at Kira again, instead she glanced at Murrue and muttered. "Please excuse me, Ma'am."

With a quick salute to the Captain, Natarle quickly walked out of the room. A few seconds after she had left, Murrue began to laugh. It wasn't something that she would normally do in a situation such as this one, but she also knew that pissing Kira off was a very dumb idea. Almost instantly, La Flaga also began to laugh, then finally Kira joined them.

A few hours later onboard the Vesalius, the sound of klaxons blared at near ear-splitting decibels, and pilots scrambled to board their mobile suits. Yzak Joule burst from the infirmary. Part of his face had been wrapped with bandages and his wounds still throbbed, but he swore he wouldn't sit on the sidelines in this battle.

The doctor and one nurse tried to hold him back. "Please, you need to rest!" The doctor pleaded, "You're not fit enough to even think of going out!"

"Shut the hell up and let me go!" Yzak growled, fighting out of the medics' grips. Once free, he ran to the hanger bay like someone possessed.

It was true he was still in pain, but it was nothing next to his psychological wounds. When the Strike had thrown that beam dagger, and dealt the last blow to the Duel's damaged side, it had triggered a small explosion inside the cockpit. The force of the blast had sent bits of his visor cutting into his face. If the cockpit itself had been breached, he would have died. Instead he had survived to face an insult that fared worse than death in his mind. The fact he couldn't shoot down someone he thought to be a Natural tormented him to the core.

Both his family's honor and his own reputation were threatened to be tarnished. Throughout his time piloting, he had scored many victories on the battlefield; that was until recently. Before now, he had been able to point the finger of blame at one of his fellow pilots whenever the Strike had slipped out of the team's grasp, but the last time Athrun wasn't present for the battle, since he had been captured, and the Strike was somehow miraculously able to counter both the Duel and Blitz, at nearly the same time.

He quickly changed into his flightsuit and was ready to board his Gundam. The Duel was now repaired and equipped with extra weaponry called the Assault Shroud, which increased its firepower and mobility. These new weapons had been salvaged and slapped together from extra GINN components. A powerful Shiva gun was now mounted on the right shoulder, with a missile pod on the left. The Duel's firepower now rivaled the Buster's, at least in his estimation.

"Hey, what are you doing?" A deck officer questioned, "Have you been given medical clearance?"

"Just do your damned job!" Yzak yelled, not looking up as he shut the cockpit's hatch.

The mobile suits shot forth from their ships, ready to engage the oncoming enemy mobile armors and destroyers. Admiral Halberton had given the orders to all ships in the fleet to keep in a tight defensive formation and to protect the Archangel at all costs.

All hands on the bridge intently watched the battle taking place in front of them. Indeed, the 8th Fleet boasted a large number of ships and Moebius mobile armors, but the Nazca-class Vesalius, along with the Buster and a handful of GINNs had overwhelmed and annihilated the Montgomery and its escort ship in a previous sortie. Natarle ordered every weapons system to be readied, from the Igelstellungs to even the Lohengrin. If any enemy unit got too close, they would shoot it down. But they had their hands full with their present task. The bridge crew was now at the bare minimum, and the descent sequence hadn't even begun.

Everyone on the bridge of the Archangel grimaced at the sight of the destruction in front of them. Mobile armors and ships, outmatched by the ZAFT machines, were dropping like flies. Suddenly the intercom on the Captain's chair buzzed, breaking the silence. Murrue quickly answered.

"Hey, why am I still on stand-by?" La Flaga asked, "Those guys out there have their hands full with those GINNs, let alone the Gundams!"

"Lieutenant La Flaga," Murrue calmly replied, "we haven't been given permission to engage. Just wait on stand-by until we have further orders." She knew that the Moebius Zero was fully repaired and that La Flaga was eager to fight, but she didn't like the idea of sending him out into a fierce battle like this one all by himself.

Murrue knew that they had to land in Africa, in order to pick up Kira's sister, Cagalli and take her back to Orb, but she also knew that her orders were to get the Strike to the Alaska base, otherwise, the lives which would be lost today would all be in vain. As the minutes passed, more and more ships were sunk. It was terrible just watching the destruction in front them and not being able to do anything to help.

Suddenly another voice called out over the intercom. "Well, I say to hell with our orders! Kira Yamato, Strike Gundam, launching!"

A few short seconds later, the Strike Gundam streaked out of the Archangel, its Phase Shift lighting up. Kira grinned slightly as the cockpit was bathed in a bright yellow light. Everyone stared at the Strike as it shot forward, sniping ZAFT mobile suits with its beam rifle. Kira growled slightly as he fired countless beam blasts from his rifle, destroying the weapons and main cameras of the ZAFT mobile suits with almost god-like speed and precision.

* * *

And so, Chapter 3 is finally complete.

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****

AS ALWAYS, PLEASE REVIEW AND FEEL FREE TO OFFER ANY IDEAS!


	4. Archangel's Descent

**The power to change the past - Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny, or Gundam 00, so please point that damned lawsuit cannon at someone else!

* * *

On the bridge, the crew quickly made their preparations for reentry. Systems checked out and everything was nearly ready.

"Captain!" Officer Chandra shouted, "The Duel and Buster are breaking through the defense lines!"

Tonomura added, "The Menelaos has entered combat!"

Kira heard everything over his intercom and radioed La Flaga. "Lieutenant!"

"I heard it, kid." The older pilot said and he then hailed the bridge, "Captain, please let us go out there while we still have time!"

"The Menelaos is in danger!" he said, "Do we have permission to engage?"

Murrue grinned slightly; she had great faith in Kira's skills. "All right, you can go!" She said, "But return by Phase Three of the decent sequence."

"Roger that." La Flaga said and signed off.

Murrue watched as the Strike and Zero were catapulted out and joined the fray.

The Menelaos continued its assault and was under heavy fire. Various operators called out changes in the status of allied ships.

"Sir, there's only five minutes before reentry!"

"Admiral, we must pull back!" Hoffman shouted, "The ship can't much more damage!"

"No, not yet!" Halberton yelled back. Just then, the bridge shook after a hit from the Buster.

"Admiral!" a communications officer called out, "The Strike and Moebius Zero have just launched from the Archangel!"

"What?" The Admiral stood to see the triple colored fuselage of the Strike as it battled with the Duel. He knew that only one person could pilot the mobile suit with such skill.

_'Kira Yamato, perhaps it really is your fate.'_ He thought to himself.

"Admiral, a Laurasia-class is closing in!" Hoffman cried.

On the Vesalius, Ades watched the Gamow shoot straight forward. "What are you doing, Zelman?"

A communications channel opened and Zelman's face appeared amidst the static. "We've come this far, and Halberton is willing to do what it take to protect the legged ship. I'm only doing what it'll take to ensure its destruction." His tone was calm and unafraid.

The line went dead as the Gamow charged forward. Ades couldn't understand why Zelman was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice as though it was his fault for allowing the legged ship to survive this long. Le Creuset watched the screen, a chilling expression on his face. Ades shuddered as the Gamow plunged right into the enemy lines at full speed. When he glanced back at the Commander, it was very disturbing that he saw that Le Creuset was actually smiling.

Seeing that the ZAFT ship was heading right for the Archangel, Halberton ordered the Menelaos to block the path and intensify fire on the enemy Laurasia-class. Despite the pounding it was sustaining, the Gamow didn't let up. La Flaga inflicted further damage by unloading the remainder of his ammo in the enemy ship, but nothing changed. Explosions burst from its hull, but it opened fire on the Menelaos.

"What are they doing, a kamikaze run?" Hoffman exclaimed.

"Hurry and launch the escape shuttle!" Halberton ordered, "Those refugees made it this far and we can't let them go down with us!"

Both the Menelaos and Gamow were badly damaged as they continued to be pulled in by Earth's gravity. The Menelaos was beginning to list to one side as the escape shuttle launched and streaked away to safety. The mighty flagship of the 8th Fleet would soon be sunk, but at least the civilians would escape. Suddenly, seemingly without any reason, the Menelaos streaked straight up, escaping the gravity of the planet, and moving safely beyond the battlefield.

Murrue sighed in relief, then she noticed a text message on the small screen mounted on her chair, a message which read; "The Destiny of 8th Fleet is not death, but to help the Archangel."

Natarle watched the readings. "Captain, we have two minutes before reentry! The ablation gel is ready to be deployed!"

"Recall the Zero and Strike!"

The Gamow's hull glowed white in the intense heat and began to crack apart, disappearing in flames as it was reduced to nothing.

"Captain Zelman!" Nicol cried, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Athrun watched as the Gamow broke apart in Earth's atmosphere. It seemed so pointless that its crew would give their lives for something that wouldn't help in their cause. He didn't understand why it happened and as he continued to watch the battle, he thought. _'Could what Kira told me really be true?'_

The Zero fired an anchor into the rear deck of the ship and reeled itself in. When the hatch safely shut behind it, La Flaga jumped out of his mobile armor. "Hey, where's the kid?"

"He's not back yet!" Murdoch shouted.

La Flaga came to a complete halt. The descent sequence was in the final phase and the bridge crew rushed to complete the last operations. Miriallia tried to contact the Strike, but there was no reply. Reaching the atmosphere, a transparent gelatin substance was released and coated the exterior of the Archangel's hull, protecting it from the heat and friction.

The Strike and Duel still battled fiercely, their beam sabers clashing. Kira pushed the Duel away and dodged the shots from its rifle. When they charged each other again, Kira kicked the enemy Gundam back and retreated slightly. Suddenly a familiar shape came into view. Kira looked to see the escape shuttle that held the refugees was flying right for them. Yzak saw the shuttle too and saw its model was similar to the ones used by high ranking officers of the Earth Forces. He believed that Halberton and his staff escaped the flagship before it burned up.

From the crew lounge, Athrun stared at the Duel Gundam, shock and horror obvious on his face as he realized. _'Kira was telling the truth after all. ZAFT is no better than the Earth Alliance.'_

Yzak was determined that he wouldn't allow the enemy officers to escape. He took aim, but just before he fired a beam blast pierced his rifle, causing it to explode. Kira screamed as he charged towards the Duel. Yzak turned to glare at the Strike, but he could only stare in shock as the blue, red and white machine streaked towards him, glowing afterimages trailing behind the enemy mobile suit as it charged.

Less than half a second later, Kira had severed the Duel's head with his beam saber, and then he kicked the Duel away before finally beginning to plummet erratically, making sure to move his physical shield in front of the machine. He had seriously considered activating his GN Field so that he would have extra protection during reentry, but he knew that the Archangel would be able to pick him up on their sensors soon, and he didn't want to reveal too many of the 000 Gundam's secrets to his allies unless he had no choice.

Those on the bridge of the Archangel saw on the monitors that the Strike was plummeting erratically.

"Kira!" the students all shouted.

"Does he think he can land in that condition?" Natarle asked.

It was already too late to dock the Strike, for if the hatch was opened, the Archangel would burn up. It looked like Kira would have to be on his own.

"The Strike's on a different entry angle!" Pal shouted, "At this rate, it'll land in a completely different area!"

"Kira, can you make it back to us?" Miriallia called over the radio, but there still was no answer, "Kira, can you hear me?"

"It's no use." Natarle said, "Even if he could hear us, the Strike's propulsion isn't strong enough."

"Then bring the ship over to him!" Murrue ordered, "Use the thrusters so we can maneuver ahead and catch the Strike!"

"But we'll be thrown off our course!" Neumann protested.

"If we were to reach JOSH-A without the Strike, then the 8th Fleet's sacrifice will have been in vain!" Murrue shouted, "Now do it!

Neumann obliged and moved the ship over and ahead of the Strike. Slowly, they were able to catch the mobile suit, but there was no word from Kira still.

"Calculate our landing point." Natarle ordered Pal.

After some quick figures, Pal looked horrified. "Estimated landing point is Northern Africa!"

Everyone on the bridge froze and fell silent. They would land right in the middle of ZAFT territory.

A few hours later, out in the desert, a small group of people laid in hiding among the dunes. They had observed the unidentified ship fall from the sky and now were on reconnaissance to find out what they could. The only female in the group, Cagalli Yula Athha, zoomed in on the ship with a pair of night vision goggles.

"I've only seen photographs of it before, but I'm positive." She said to the others, "That is the new Earth Alliance ship that was built in secret at Heliopolis. If I remember correctly, its name is the Archangel."

Just then, the communication equipment in one of the group's ATV buzzed. One of the others pressed a switch.

"What is it?"

"The Desert Tiger is on the move." The voice somberly said. "I repeat, the Desert Tiger is on the move."

* * *

Thus, Chapter 4 is complete.

The next chapter will have more then one confrontation, and not all of them will occur on the battlefeld.

Anyway, I'll leave the readers guessing about what exactly that could mean, and whom the confrontation will be between.

A few small questions for my readers;

1a) I've been wondering if you guys think it would be possible to have a lemon between Kira & Murrue before the Archangel reaches Orb.

1b) If you guys think that it would be possible to have a lemon between Kira and Murrue before the Archangel gets to Orb, when and where, should it happen?

2) Originally I was going to bring the Strike Freedom Gundam back into battle just before ZAFT's Operation Spitbreak, but recently I've been considering having it decend to the Archangel while on they are on their way to Orb. What do you guy think, and remember since Kira pilots the 000 Gundam, Murrue pilots the Strike Freedom Gundam.

* * *

**AS ALWAYS, PLEASE REVIEW AND FEEL FREE TO OFFER ANY IDEAS!**


	5. Cagalli, the Godess of Victory

**The power to change the past - Chapter 5**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny, or Gundam 00, so please point that damned lawsuit cannon at someone else!

* * *

Meanwhile, something was afoot in the desert. It was early in the morning, before sunrise, and two figures stood atop a nearby sand dune and watched the Archangel.

"So is there any activity from the enemy warship?"

Martin DaCosta looked through his pair of night-vision binoculars once more before he turned to his commanding officer. "No, sir, it's just sitting there."

Andrew Waltfeld AKA "The Desert Tiger" stepped forward. He was a feared soldier in the ZAFT military and had all the qualifications of a leader. He was confident, fearless, and was able to adapt to any situation. "That's not surprising, what with all of our N-Jammers interfering with the airwaves. It has no other choice but to simply sit quietly." He then took a sip from his mug. "Hmm."

"What is it, sir?"

"Well I altered the amount of Mocha Matari for this particular blend. You should sample it." When he wasn't preparing strategies, Waltfeld spent much of his free time experimenting with combining various blends of coffee. He then turned around and headed down the sand dune, with DaCosta close behind.

At the bottom waited a group of soldiers standing next to several mobile suits and a number of attack helicopters. As their commanding officer came up, they immediately stood at attention.

Waltfeld tossed his empty cup to DaCosta and spoke to his soldiers. "Men, we are about to commence our attack on the new Earth Forces battleship, the Archangel. Our objective is to gather data on the combat capabilities of both the ship and the mobile suit it carries in Earth's gravity."

"So that means we can't just go and destroy both?" a soldier joked. The others chuckled, but a stern glare from their commander silenced them.

"We're worry about that when the time comes." Waltfeld said, "But remember that the famed Le Creuset Team couldn't sink that ship and Admiral Halberton's entire 8th Fleet sacrificed itself to ensure it could land on Earth. Our task is now to make sure that it doesn't leave the continent, and I know you all can do that." He saw the confidence beaming from his soldiers. "I pray for your success." He saluted and his men returned the gesture.

"All pilots to your machines!" DaCosta ordered, and the soldiers scrambled to board their respective machines, whether mobile suit or helicopter.

DaCosta then climbed into a jeep where Waltfeld waited.

"A great cup of coffee puts me in an even greater mood." The Commander smiled. He motioned for DaCosta to drive. "We now have a battle to win."

As he drove, DaCosta saw a glint of excitement in his superior's eyes. He knew the Commander was most dangerous when he had that look in his eyes.

"We're here to start our shift." Miriallia said as she and Tolle came onto the bridge.

"You two are late." Neumann scolded.

Tolle took his seat and was able to listen in on Kuzzey and Tonomura's conversation taking place behind him.

"We'll be able to evade enemy infrared sensors with the ship's black hole cooling system."

"How about radar?" Kuzzey asked.

"We can't rely on it, but neither can the enemy."

Kuzzey sighed. "That's because of the neutron jammers, right? Isn't there some way to just get rid of them?"

"I'm afraid not." Tonomura answered, "The Earth Alliance has been searching for a solution, but nothing's been found. They're buried so far underground that we really have no idea of the exact number." He paused. "Though they are a nuisance, we should consider ourselves lucky. If ZAFT had retaliated with their own nukes after Junius Seven, the Earth would probably be ruined right now."

That was a sickening thought to Tolle and Miriallia, the possibility of Earth being destroyed. Of course, when ZAFT commenced Operation Uroboros and released the N-Jammers, its backlash was the present energy crisis that griped many parts of the world. They couldn't even imagine how the war could get worse.

Right then, Natarle entered the bridge. "Have there been any chances?"

Tonomura stood at attention. "No, ma'am."

Natarle then came up to Neumann and passed him a drink. "How's the strain on the ship's hull?"

"The stress curve is within the limits we can allow." He took a sip and went to let his drink go.

"Ensign." Natarle briskly said.

"Yes?" Neumann then saw that he was about to let his drink just drop. He hadn't quite readjusted to Earth's gravity yet. "Oh."

"What's this anomaly here?" Natarle then asked, pointing to several gauges. Tolle leaned over to look at them as well.

Neumann typed away. "Based on our prewar data, this area once housed numerous petroleum and natural gas mines, but they've been long abandoned. However, we cannot pinpoint their precise locations."

"Which means what exactly?" Tolle asked.

"It means that there are large cavernous holes beneath the ground, therefore we must be careful when we land."

"So is the ground we're on now safe?" Tolle asked nervously, "It won't cave in, right?"

"Hopefully."

Abruptly, alarms wailed, causing nearly everyone to jump out of their seats. A shout came from the CIC. "We've been targeted by lasers!"

Natarle sprang into action. "Alert all hands, we are under attack!"

The alert for all hands to get to level one battle stations was sent through the PA. In their shared cabin, Murrue and Kira both leapt out of bed and immediately dressed.

A barrage of missiles shot out from behind a sand dune. Mere seconds before they would strike, the ship's Igelstellungs opened fire and brought them down. The shockwaves of their premature explosions still rocked the ship. Kira was down in the hanger by that time and could see both Murdoch and La Flaga bickering by one of the Skygrasper planes. He climbed into the Strike's cockpit, but found it to be more difficult in gravity. In the near zero-g of space, he would've just leap right up to the cockpit. When he switched on his radio, he could hear the chatter from the bridge.

"They're attacking from behind the dunes! We can't pinpoint their locations!"

"Start up the engines!"

The ship vibrated as the engines came to life. Kira powered up the Strike and was ready to fight. "Open the hatch!" he called in, "The Strike's ready to launch!"

"Kira, what are you doing?" Miriallia demanded, "You're supposed to be resting!"

Kira ignored her and lowered his helmet's visor. "I'm fine, now open the hatch!"

"Hold on, we still aren't sure of either the enemy's position or numbers!" Natarle informed him.

"Damn it, you're wasting time!" Kira shot back, clearly losing his patience, "Open that damned hatch now or I'll shoot it open myself!" Kira yelled as he raised the beam rifle in his right hand, aiming it towards the closed catapult hatch.

On the bridge, Tolle, Miriallia, Kuzzey, and Sai were stunned by his harsh tone and words. They had never heard him talk that way to anyone before.

Natarle turned to Murrue. "Well, Captain?"

"I don't approve of his attitude." She lied, "But we don't have any other choice. Launch the Strike, have the Aegis placed on stand-by, just in case the shit hits the fan."

Kira moved the Gundam to the catapult and a moment later Natarle announced. "Strike, you're now clear to launch! But be careful, don't forget about the gravity."

The Strike was flung out of the Archangel, but to everyone's surprise, it began to effortlessly fly through the air. As the Strike moved away from the ship, a ZAFT attack chopper swooped in and fired a volley of missiles. Kira rolled his eyes as he effortlessly dodged the missiles, then he opened up with his torso-mounted beam Gatling guns, destroying the attack chopper before it had the chance to take cover behind a sand dune.

Kira noticed as a TMF-A-802 BuCUE slid along the terrain on caterpillar treads before it transformed to its four-legged configuration. He tried to move out of the way, but the enemy jumped at him, slamming into his machine, and knocking it to the ground. As Kira rose to his feet, the BuCUE spun around and fired missiles from its back-mounted launcher, while another BuCUE charged at him from behind, rapidly firing rail gun shells into his machine's back.

"OH SHIT!!" Kira yelled as his holoshroud flickered a few times, before finally going completely offline due to the impacts of the missiles and rail gun shells, revealing the true form of his machine, the GN-X000A 000 Gundam. In an instant, the battle had screeched to a sudden stop. Everyone, whether they were allies or enemies, was now staring in awe and wonder at the angelic form of the 000 Gundam.

The 000 Gundam was a truly magnificent machine, the armor covering it's chest was black, red and blue, while the arms and legs of the machine were white with a few black accents, the angel-style wings were pure white and almost seemed to shine with their own light. Although as both Kira and Murrue knew; the wings only glowed due to the GN Drives which were mounted in the root of the wings, where they connected to the machine's back.

Kira growled, his anger at the true form of his machine being revealed, in addition to a furious desire to protect his friends and family, building inside of him until the vision of a purple seed exploded inside his head. In an instant, Kira's eyes had faded into the washed out glaze of a SEED possessed individual, but it was different this time. Now his eyes were glowing with a bright golden light, while purple and black swirled in his pupils almost as though a tornado was confined within each of his eyes.

Everything around Kira instantly slowed down to a crawl, but he was still able to move at his normal speed. Out of the corner of his left eye, he noticed that the BuCUE with the rail guns was preparing to fire again. Kira smirked as he tapped the controls, dodging before the shells had even fired, instead the rail gun shells impacted and destroyed the other BuCUE, which had maneuvered to his right side, the two pilots obviously intending to box him in.

Everyone on the bridge of the Archangel watched in amazement as the 000 Gundam dodged before the rail gun toting BuCUE had even fired and instead of hitting the Gundam, the rail gun shells vaporized his ally.

"C-captain, what is that machine?" Natarle asked, trying to hide her fear and awe.

Murrue opened her mouth to reply, but before she could say anything, Chandra yelled. "Second missile volley incoming, they're coming right at us!"

Kira saw the missiles as well and he knew that there wouldn't be time for the ship to evade them all. However, instead of moving to shoot the missiles down, the 000 Gundam remained where it stood as Kira unleashed his DRAGOON units, using the remote weapons to snipe the missiles. As Kira shot the last missile down, the remaining BuCUE began to pummel him in the back with more rail gun shells. The 000 Gundam turned, almost casually to glare at the BuCUE as the DRAGOON units once again docked on the mobile suit's back. After thinking for a few seconds, Kira opened a comm. line to the enemy pilot.

"Do you really think that you can beat me with that outdated ZAFT machine?" Kira asked the enemy pilot.

"Outdated?! This BuCUE is brand new, it's one of the best ground use mobile suits that ZAFT makes!" The pilot replied as he charged towards the 000 Gundam, but Kira merely sighed in annoyance as he leapt into the sky, dodging the strike.

"From my perspective, that machine is nearly ten years old." Kira said as the BuCUE lunged at him again, but Kira reacted instantly, grabbing the BuCUE in mid-air, before then throwing it back to the ground, the impact completely disabling the machine and knocking the pilot unconscious.

"H-how is this possible?" Athrun said in disbelief, as he watched the conclusion of the battle from within the cockpit of the Aegis Gundam, which had until only a moment ago, been waiting for launch clearance.

A few minutes later the 000 Gundam landed in the hanger and Kira wasn't the least bit surprised when he noticed a large group of crewmembers waiting for him to leave the cockpit of his machine, among the group were Murrue, Athrun and Natarle. After powering down his mobile suit, Kira opened the hatch and descended to the hanger floor on the zip line.

As soon as his feet had touched the hanger floor, Natarle was already upon him. "What the hell is this machine and where is the Strike?"

Kira sighed in annoyance as he seemingly ignored the ranting woman, but after a few tense seconds, he replied. "I didn't want to have to reveal this, but now I have no choice." He said, pausing for a moment before continuing. "I am actually an agent of a secret organization known as Celestial Being. You see, Celestial Being was instrumental in building the Gundams and I am here to see that they are not used as weapons of mass murder; the Gundam is an object of freedom, and I am here to ensure it remains that way."

Natarle glared at Kira as she yelled. "This is not the machine which had been built at Heliopolis!"

"No, really?" Kira sarcastically replied, glancing over his shoulder at the 000 Gundam. "I never would have guessed that this machine isn't the Strike."

Kira allowed a smirk to cross his lips as he noticed that both Murrue and Athrun were fighting the urge to burst out laughing. Natarle noticed the smirk, thinking that it was intended to be a mocking one directed towards her, she balled her right hand into a fist and took a swing at Kira.

Kira saw the punch coming and just as he had done a few days earlier, he dodged the attack, ducking under the blow and coming back up behind her. Kira grabbed Natarle's arm, twisting it behind her back. This time, however, Kira actually did break her arm before then shoving her to the hanger floor.

"Kira!" Murrue and Athrun cried simultaneously, both of them quickly rushing towards him. Athrun moved to stand on his friends' left, while Murrue stood at his right, glaring down at Natarle for five short seconds, before pulling out her service pistol and pointing it at the raven haired woman's head, directly between her eyes.

"I am very tempted to shoot you right now, Natarle." Murrue growled, tears now threatening to spill from her eyes.

"Captain, that boy; Kira Yamato is a Coordinator. Even if he has saved this ship from destruction, he's still an enemy!" Natarle replied, her voice rising slightly as she used her unbroken arm and pointed at the young man, now standing over her.

Murrue hesitated for a moment, she didn't think that it would be a good idea to tell everyone that she and Kira would get married and have children in the future. Murrue opened her mouth to reply, but she was interrupted by Flay Allster.

"I agree with Ensign Badgiruel. Kira is a Coordinator, any and all Coordinators must be extermi-" Flay was quickly silenced by a single gunshot.

Everyone instantly turned and stared in the direction of the gunshot to see that Kira was now holding a pistol in his left hand, aiming the weapon straight up into the air. Kira glared at both Flay and Natarle as he lowered the weapon to his side.

Kira, like Murrue, was very upset at this point and he was also tempted to shoot both Natarle and Flay. If not a killing shot, at least one that would injure them for a while.

Kira continued to glare at the two women as he gently put a hand on Murrue's shoulder, his gentle touch calming her somewhat, and once he saw that she had calmed down, he said. "Since some of the people on this ship are too damn stupid to realize the truth, I'll spell it out for you all; I'm no different from anyone else, I'm nothing more than a single human being."

Flay was not willing to back down yet, glaring at Kira as she walked up to him and when she was standing directly in front of him, she said. "You can believe that you're human if you want, but it doesn't change the fact that you are nothing more than a space monster."

Ten minutes later, both Flay and Natarle had been ordered to remain in their cabins, in addition to these orders, armed guards had been posted just outside their rooms, making it impossible for either of them to leave their rooms without someone knowing.

The sun was still high in the sky a few hours later as the Archangel sat in the desert soil, with numerous ATVs parked nearby. In between the tiny vehicles and the ship stood the 000 Gundam, although now it was using its holoshroud so that it appeared to be the Strike Gundam. From the bridge, the crew could see the assortment of men step out from their ATVs. It was a diverse group, with its members varying in ages. By their attire of desert garbs and some military gear, it was clear that they didn't belong to any regular army.

"Do you think they're friendly?" Natarle asked, she had been allowed to leave her cabin and return to duty, but now she was under constant watch from armed security guards. At the first sign of violence towards Kira or any other crewmembers, the security guards had orders to shoot her. They had been instructed not to go for killing shots, instead they had been told to fire shots that would incapacitate her.

"It's hard to tell, but they did come to our aid." Murrue answered as she left the bridge, "I'll at least try to speak with them. They may end up as a great help to us." With that she stepped onto the elevator and headed down.

On the deck, La Flaga had returned and now waited with a number of other crewmen. Each checked their sidearms in the event they were needed. Murrue arrived then and went to the hatch.

"Ready?" she asked, to which La Flaga nodded. She then pressed the switch and she and the Commander walked out while the other crewman remained hidden with their weapons at the ready.

She looked to the group to see one step forward. He was an older bearded man with a scar along his cheek. She amused that he was the group's leader.

"I'm Murrue Ramius of the Earth Alliance OMNI Enforcer's 8th Fleet." She said, "We'd like to thank you for your assistance."

"The 8th Fleet, you say?" a young man laughed, "We heard that the fleet was annihilated."

Murrue glared at him, as did the leader. "Quiet, Ahmed." He then turned back to Murrue. "No thanks are needed as we didn't come to fight for your sake."

"So who are you?" Murrue asked.

"We call ourselves Desert Dawn. My name is Sahib Ashman."

"I take it then that you're a resistance group?" La Flaga asked.

"I've seen your face somewhere." Sahib said, ignoring the question, "What is your name?"

"I'm Mu La Flaga."

Sahib chuckled. "Well, I never thought I'd meet the Hawk of Endymion, especially in a place such as this."

Both Murrue and La Flaga were surprised. How could a person like Sahib know who they were?

"So what else do you know about us?"

"I know your ship is the new Archangel-class and that you came to Earth while escaping the Le Creuset Team." Sahib told them and then he pointed to the mobile suit. "And that is the GAT-X105."

"Also called the Strike Gundam." A feminine voice said from behind him, "It's the latest prototype Earth Forces mobile suit." Then out stepped the source of the voice, a girl with blonde hair. She then faced Murrue. "So what is it you plan to do now that you're in the Tiger's territory?"

"We would appreciate any help you could offer us." Murrue simply said, cutting to the chase.

Sahib threw a sly grin. "If you want to talk, have your troops lower their guns first." He was aware of the soldiers that were hiding in the shadow of the hatch. He then looked to the Strike. "Have your pilot come out as well."

Murrue signaled to her the crewmen to lower their weapons and then took a communicator from her waist. "Ensign Yamato, please come down."

Kira climbed out of the cockpit and joined Murrue and La Flaga. The moment he removed his helmet, every one of the resistance fighters were stunned.

"This kid is the mobile suit's pilot?" Sahib asked.

The blond girl gasped as well, only now she rushed forward. "You!" she yelled, "What the hell are you doing, piloting that thing?" She swung her hand to strike Kira, but he caught it.

He stared at the girl, he knew that this girl was his sister, Cagalli Yula Athha, but he decided not to let anyone know, he had revealed far too much already. "It's you. You're that girl I met at Heliopolis that day."

Her eyes flashed in anger as she ignored his last comment. "I'll ask you again, why are you piloting that mobile suit?"

Kira thought before he answered. "Truthfully, I sort of had no choice."

That only made her angrier. "You had no choice?" she repeated, "That's your excuse?!" She reeled back her other hand, balling it into a fist, and swinging at Kira as hard as she could.

_'Fighting to protect my friends and family seems to make a lot of people want to hit me for some reason.'_ Kira thought to himself as he again caught Cagalli's fist, effortlessly blocking her strike.

As soon as Cagalli had lowered her hand, Kira lashed out at her, slapping her across the cheek as he spoke, his voice slightly raised. "I don't know about you, but I am fighting to protect my friends and family! If that's not a good enough reason to fight, then I don't know what is!"

"What do you think that was about?" La Flaga whispered to Murrue.

Murrue's only reply was a shrug.

Hundreds of miles away, Yzak and Dearka had finally reached Gibraltar, one of the number of ZAFT's frontline bases. They had made it through the ordeal of plummeting through Earth's atmosphere no worse for wear and fortunately for them, they landed near friendly lines. Now they listened to a pre-recorded message sent by Le Creuset in regards to any further orders.

"It's a great relief that you both survived and now have arrived at Gibraltar." The Commander said, "However, the legged ship slipped away once more, but now is in the African continent. It may prove useful in the long run that you two now on Earth. In the meantime, I want for you to rest before I give you any new orders. That is all." With that, the message ended.

"Well this sucks." Dearka griped, "He wants us to stick with the occupation forces?" To him, he wasn't ever interested in even stepping foot on Earth. Of course, that was the normal mindset of many second generation Coordinators. The very thought of walking on Earth was very alien. He then turned to see Yzak slowly removing the bandages that had been covering his face. He'd thought his comrade's wounds were very severe since he joined the last battle, but he quickly changed his mind.

"Staying here on this planet suits me just fine, as long as we get the chance to destroy the Strike and its pilot." He said through clenched teeth, "I swear that I'll be the one who takes that bastard down!"

Back in the desert, the Archangel carefully followed the ATVs as it was guided through a rocky crag of mountains. The path widened and narrowed at various points and the ship scrapped the side of the side of rocks before it sat down. Right away, the crew and Kira, piloting the still disguised 000 Gundam, commenced rolling out camouflage netting to conceal the ship.

Several men ran from one of the many caves that lined the rocks and stared in shock at the ship and officers following Sahib.

"Sahib, what's all this about?" one asked.

"These people are my guests." Their leader stoically replied as he walked by them. Murrue, Natarle, and La Flaga followed close behind him as they were lead inside the opening of a cave.

Inside, they were led down a winding path. They glanced around and found that smaller caverns held supplies of ammunition, food, an assortment of weapons, and other items. They past by many other men, but there were no other women apart from the one they had met earlier. She too followed them as they entered a command center. The space itself was dimly lit and filled by computers and other machines. In the middle was a large table with a map spread out over it.

"Do you people actually live here?" La Flaga asked.

"No, this just is just a frontline base we use during our campaigns." Sahib told him, "We actually live in the nearby towns, at least the ones that haven't been burned to the ground. We have many volunteers from Moula, Tassil, and even as far away as Banadiya."

La Flaga nodded and twisted his head to see Cagalli standing off to the side, but still within listening range. "So who is she?"

"Her name's Cagalli Yula." Sahib said, "So, you want to reach Alaska." He quickly changed the subject and went to the map on the table. "You'll have to escape the continent, which unfortunately for you is under ZAFT control. Normally their forces wouldn't be out this far, but since the Victoria Spaceport fell-"

"Victoria fell?!" Natarle asked, "When did that happen?"

"Only three days ago." Sahib grimly answered. "The African Community sided with the PLANTs at the start of the war, but the South African Union held out as long they could before the Earth Forces abandoned them. Everyday the battelines shift."

"With Kaohsiung and now Victoria in ZAFT's hands, all that remains is Panama." Murrue muttered. If that base fell too, then the Earth Alliance would lose nearly all its access to send material to its space forces.

"At least you guys are still fighting hard against the ZAFT occupation forces." La Flaga said, but Sahib threw him a sharp and hard glare.

"From our standpoint, the Earth Alliance and ZAFT are one in the same. They come only to rule and take what they please from others."

"If that's how you feel, they why do you want to help us now?" Natarle asked.

"It's because we share a common enemy." Sahib answered. "But back on our original subject, how well does your ship operate within the atmosphere?"

"We can't reach very high altitudes." Murrue told him.

"If you can't fly over a mountain range, you may have to try to break through Gibraltar."

"With our battle strength?" La Flaga almost laughed, he had missed the last battle since he had been flying a recon mission in one of the new Skygrasper units at the time. "I'd think that the odds would be stacked against us if we tried that."

"Then you'll have to fight your to the Red Sea, then make your way over the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean." His tone made it sound like such a task would be easy. Then again, it wasn't his concern.

"We can't go that distance without stopping to restock on supplies." Natarle said.

Murrue looked at the map. "I know that the Oceania Union is allied with ZAFT, but is the Equatorial Union still neutral?" If so, they perhaps could negotiate some sort of arrangement with the nation's government.

"It won't matter whether or not they're neutral if you don't get past here." Sahib said, jabbing his finger back on a point on the African continent. "You'll first have to get past the Desert Tiger's lair."

DaCosta stepped into his commander's office only to be confronted with an overpowering and strange aroma. His superior sat at his desk mixing a blend of some new coffee, looking almost like a mad scientist working on his latest creation.

"Yes, what is it?" Waltfeld asked as he stirred the black liquid.

"Commander, have you thought of ventilating this room?"

"That's why you came in?"

"Uh, no sir." DaCosta answered, standing up straight. "I came to tell you that the preparations for sortie are complete."

"Excellent." Waltfeld then poured his latest brew into a small cup and gave it a quick taste. "Hmm, the Hawaiian Kona I added makes this an interesting blend." With that, he followed DaCosta down to the deck.

Waiting for them was a line of soldiers and three BuCUEs. Everyone was eager for a bit of revenge for the previous night's losses.

"Last night, we suffered defeat at the hands of a seemingly ill-prepared battleship." He said to his troops. "Tonight, we'll teach that them a lesson they won't soon forget!"

As the afternoon turned to dusk, Kira took the opportunity to take a break after all the work he did in helping with the camouflage netting. From the corner of his eye, he saw Cagalli walking towards. He nearly took a step back, slightly fearful that she'd try to take another swing at him.

Instead, she hung her head down. "I-I wanted to say that I'm sorry about earlier." She said, "Please forgive me."

Her apology wasn't quite sincere. Truth be told, it sounded so forced and phony that Kira had to laugh.

"What's so funny now?" she demanded.

"It's nothing, really. It's just that I sort of wondered what happened to you after you went to the shelter." He said, "You can imagine my surprise seeing here of all places."

She nodded. "I guess you're right." Her anger was fading fast, "I just I never expected that you'd be the pilot of that mobile suit. Just how did that happen?"

"It's long story." Kira told her, memories rushing back. After a moment of silence, Kira suddenly said. "I know who you are, Cagalli Yula Attha, Princess of Orb."

Cagalli could only stare at him, her eyes wide with shock.

* * *

Chapter 5 is now complete.

On a slight side-note; Kira can't seem to keep his mouth shut...I only wonder how long it will be until someone finds out that he is in an intimate relationship with his Captain.

Before anyone asks, yes, both Kira and Murrue are wearing wedding rings, however, with the Archangel being in nearly constant battles, no one has noticed them yet...

That brings up the one question I have for this chapter:

If someone does happen to notice their rings, who will it be who notices them, and what will they say, if anything?

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**AS ALWAYS, PLEASE REVIEW AND FEEL FREE TO OFFER ANY IDEAS!**


	6. Showdown in the Desert

**The power to change the past - Chapter 6**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny, or Gundam 00, so please point that damned lawsuit cannon at someone else!

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Suddenly, a shrill alarm rang though the camp, bringing everyone to their feet. Murrue, Natarle, and La Flaga listened closely as Sahib grabbed a radio.

"What's happening?"

"There is fire in the sky!" the voice shouted back, "It's coming from the direction of Tassil!"

A look of horror spread across Sahib's face. "The Tiger." He whispered

The rebel camp was now in a state of near chaos as mefn ran back and forth. They clamored about gathering ammunition and weapons. Watching his comrades, Sahib climbed atop of crates and waved his arms.

"Everyone calm down, don't lose your heads!" he called out, "We have to be cautious in case this is a diversionary attack! I want half of us to remain here!"

Both Murrue and La Flaga stood by, trying to keep out of the way.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked.

"I've never heard of any atrocities committed by Andrew Waltfeld." He shrugged, "But of course, I don't personally know the man."

"The Archangel should remain here in case this is a diversion meant to draw us out, but these people may need help." She turned to the Commander, "Why don't you go?"

"You mean me?"

"The Skygrasper's the fastest vehicle we have." Murrue said, even though she knew that the 000 Gundam was actually faster, she also knew they would need the Gundam soon.

La Flaga nodded. "Okay, I'll do it."

"And I'll send a doctor with any officer as a sign of goodwill, since they helped us, even if it wasn't for our sake."

"Roger that, Captain." With that, La Flaga dashed off to get suited up.

When the news for all crewmembers to return to the ship and take battle stations reached Kira, he too hurried to make his way to the hanger.

Meanwhile, Tassil had now become an inferno, with flames engulfing the town. DaCosta had returned and climbed back into the driver's seat.

"So it is over?" Waltfeld asked, opening one eye.

"Yes, sir."

"What about causalities?"

DaCosta was baffled. "None of our troops or mobile suits were lost."

"I mean on both sides."

"Well, there may have been the random person who might have suffered some burns, smoke inhalation, or took a stumble. However, the troops were careful not to kill anyone, as per your orders."

"Good, now let's withdraw. The renegades may be back soon."

DaCosta was surprised. "Wasn't that the plan, to lure them into an ambush?"

"Of course not." Waltfeld leaned back in his seat. "We've completed our objectives here. Now let's head back to the Lesseps."

"Yes, sir." DaCosta relayed the message to the troops.

The Desert Dawn fighters sped as quickly as possible. Tassil was a fair distance from their base, but the blaze lit up the night sky, and they all could see the horrible sight.

"The town-" Cagalli gasped.

"What about the people?" Ahmed asked. It was a question everyone feared the answer.

Just then, the Skygrasper flew above and past them. La Flaga began to circle the remains of the town. Most of the shops and houses were already ablaze, and those that weren't would soon be. "This is bad, absolute destruction." He then thought he spotted something, lowered the fighter, and was surprised to see what he found.

On an elevated ridge, he found a large group of elderly men, along with women and children. "This is La Flaga." He radioed, "I've located survivors."

"Thank goodness." Murrue's voice said, "How many?"

"Here's the thing. It looks like everyone managed to get out alive."

"What, how is that possible? Where's the enemy now?"

"I don't know; they've already gone." With that, he quickly landed near the group moments before the Desert Dawn members arrived. He watched as the men jumped out and searched for their families.

Just then, the jeep which Murrue had sent out reached the area and Natarle joined La Flaga. "What happened here, Commander?"

"It looks like a small miracle of some sort." He folded his arms.

They continued to watch as Sahib hurried through the crowd, directing those who could to help the injured. Suddenly he spotted a small boy and rushed over to him. "Yaru, thank goodness you safe." He smiled, "Where are your mother and Nene?"

"They're with Shamusedin's grandmother right now. She fell while we were running and twisted her ankle." The boy told him.

Sahib breathed a sigh of relief, knowing his wife and children were safe. He went right back to the task at hand and found one of the town's elders. By this time, Cagalli had joined him. "How many of our people were killed?"

"Not a single life was lost tonight." The elder informed them.

Sahib, Cagalli, and the other Desert Dawn members were nearly floored by the news.

"How did that happen?" Sahib asked.

"They gave us an advance warning."

"'They' who?" Cagalli then asked.

"The ZAFT soldiers." The elder explained, "One came down and told us we had fifteen minutes to flee before they would attack. And true to his word, a full fifteen minutes past before they began to set fire to the town. They destroyed food, water, ammunition, and fuel, every last bit of supplies. It's true no one lost their lives, but what are we going to do now?"

Sahib clenched his fists. "What is that man up to?"

"You know, survival is still possible." La Flaga said, stepping forward. He and Natarle had been listening in as well. "This was probably retaliation for your intervention last night. You should be thankful he was this merciful."

"You've must be kidding!" Cagalli rushed up and grabbed his shirt. "You call this merciful, leave an entire town all but homeless?"

La Flaga edged back, but she didn't release her hold. "I apologize if I upset you, but you have to remember the ZAFT forces are a professional army. They could've easily demolished this town without warning if they wanted to. If they had, then maybe no one would be alive right now."

Cagalli's anger didn't subside. "That man's no tiger, he's a jackal. He's attacks a defenseless town while we're not around and calls it a victory. Everyday we fight on courageously; we even destroyed three BuCUEs last night. Now that coward tries to get us back with an attack like this. Damn that man!"

Sahib only watched on until one of his men ushered to the side. La Flaga saw it too, but didn't see where they went. When he looked back at Cagalli, he shuddered. She had the same furious expression she had when she saw that it was Kira who was the pilot of the Strike. He also remembered what she tried to do and knew that she was in slapping range.

"You got a point, that Desert Tiger's a lowlife."

"Oh, the hell with you!" she shouted and then she stomped off.

A ring of fighters had gathered by the time Sahib joined them. "What's all this about?"

"There's still a chance we can catch up to them if we leave now." One of his men said, "We can kill him if we act quickly."

"No, that's out of the question!" Sahib exclaimed, "It's too reckless! If you feel that you must do something, and then stay with your wives and children. They take precedence."

"What good will that do?" another demanded, pointing to the burning ruins, "Tassil is gone and other towns will suffer the same fate if the Tiger is left alive! Our minds are already made up!"

With that, the men jumped aboard every available ATV and sped off into the night.

"Edol!" Sahib called out and one of the men who hadn't left came forward.

Cagalli rushed up as well. "What are you going, Sahib?"

"I have to stop them. What they're doing to far too dangerous." He climbed into another ATV.

"I'll go with you!" Cagalli said.

But Sahib held up a restraining hand. "No, I want you and Ahmed to remain here." His ATV then sped away.

Cagalli kicked the sand in frustration. Just then, Ahmed and her bodyguard Kisaka pulled up in another ATV. She hopped in and followed after Sahib. They waved to him as they caught up to him.

"I told you both to stay behind!" he shouted to them.

"Sahib, have you already forgotten that we were the ones who destroyed the BuCUEs last night?" Ahmed joked.

"There aren't any of our traps where we're going!"

"Even without the traps," Cagalli said holding an RPG, "we have other weapons." The ATV then accelerated ahead.

Sahib feared what was going to happen.

Meanwhile, La Flaga contacted the Archangel and reported on the situation.

"Why didn't you try to stop them, Commander?" Murrue demanded, glaring through the monitor.

"If I had, they'd probably have turned on us and still be chasing after the enemy. Besides, we have a town of unarmed civilians that we our help. Food and especially water is badly needed."

Murrue sighed. "All right, I'll send what supplies we can spare over right away."

"What about the men that followed the enemy?"

"I'll send Kira out. We cannot allow them to be slaughtered."

Meanwhile out in the desert, Waltfeld's group made their way back to base, but their speed concerned DaCosta.

"Commander, shouldn't we quicken our pace?"

Waltfeld opened one eye and glanced over. "Are you that eager to get back to base, DaCosta?"

"No sir, it's just that what if the renegades try to pursue us? They may catch up to us."

Waltfeld just leaned back and rested his head, almost as though this was a casual weekend drive. "Their weapons are no match for our BuCUEs. Then again, there is the old saying, 'I'd rather die'. I've heard some people say it, but how many of them actually mean it?"

"Sir?"

Before Waltfeld could elaborate, the radio sounded as a message from one of the pilots, Kirkwood, came in. "Sir, I've detected eight objects closing in on us. They appear to be ones from the resistance."

"So I guess that some people would foolishly risk their lives." Waltfeld muttered.

The Desert Dawn fighters sped across the dunes until they found their target. They then gunned their ATVs' engine and swarm down, hefting RPGs and taking aim.

"Go after that jeep!" one fighter shouted, "Kill the Tiger!"

The projectiles were blocked by the BuCUEs as the ZAFT jeeps hurried to safety. The mobile suits' mono-eyes flashed as they targeted the tiny enemy vehicles. The ATVs spun away, narrowly dodging missiles that came their way. The Desert Dawn fighters returned fire, but their shots went wide and missed the charging BuCUEs. As one raised a limb to swat away the ATVs, Cagalli aimed her RPG and fired, scoring a direct hit to the mobile suit's face.

While the machine was stunned, the other immediately took aim and fired another volley. Several hits impacted the leg joints, but when Kisaka's shot hit, the mobile suit crumpled to the ground. The Desert Dawn warriors cheered at the sight, but their jubilation died quickly.

The second of the three BuCUEs had switched to its treads and rushed forward. It came in behind several of the ATVs and with a surge of speed steamrolled the vehicles. Both man and machine were crushed in an instant.

The remaining ATVs tried to scatter, but it didn't matter which way they went. The third BuCUE swung one of its front limbs and knocked over the ATVs unfortunate enough to be in the path. The ones that did escape then had to contend with the other BuCUE as it flattened the ATVs in its direct path and used missile to blow away the others. Soon only Sahib's and Cagalli's ATVs were among the only ones left.

Ahmed turned the steering wheel, bringing the ATV right under the nearest BuCUE. Once underneath, Cagalli and Kisaka opened fire at the underbelly of the machine. Suddenly, the mobile suit decelerated and let the ATV get in front of it. Kisaka knew what was coming next.

"Quick, jump off!" he shouted, grabbing Cagalli before he leapt off.

Ahmed wasn't fast enough, and the BuCUE's leg swatted the ATV as though it was an insect and sent it flying. When it crashed down, Cagalli gasped in horror at the sight of his broken and bloody body still strapped in the mangled wreckage. She screamed out his name. Sahib had to distract the BuCUE in order for her and Kisaka to flee. His plan worked too well and the machine gave chase. The ATV didn't have the speed to escape and it'd only be moments until it would be crushed.

Suddenly, a green beam of energy came from over horizon, blazing by the ZAFT mobile suit, forcing it to change course.

Cagalli looked up to see the approaching form of the Strike.

While the first shot was off its mark intentionally, in order to distract the enemy, the second shot hit the BuCUE's missile launcher. The weapon was quickly jettisoned before it exploded. Now it lacked a portion of its weaponry.

Kira took a quick assessment of the situation. He figured he'd only have to deal with the two enemy machines when he spotted the disabled third. When he evaded a barrage of enemy fire, he saw several human shapes and zoomed in on the image. He saw Cagalli as well as the dead body of her comrade and bitterness filled him. He couldn't let himself lose his focus as he turned his attention back to the battle.

DaCosta had pulled the ATV to a safe distance where he and Waltfeld could observe the battle. "Where'd that machine come from?"

"Look at that," Waltfeld assumed, "The pilot was able to change the rifle's alignment instantly. He must've input the heat convection parameters like it was nothing."

Whoever the pilot was, he was good. Waltfeld then twisted his head to see the disabled BuCUE start to rise back to its feet. He grabbed the wireless.

"Kirkwood, let me take over and pilot your mobile suit."

"Sir?" the pilot's confused voice replied.

"Just do it! That's an order!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Commander, what do you think you're doing?" DaCosta exclaimed. "This is completely unorthodox and goes against every protocol."

Waltfeld smirked. "I didn't earn my nickname by following protocol and being orthodox, now did I?" He leapt out of the ATV to switch over to the mobile suit.

Kira repelled the attacks of the two BuCUEs as best he could. He targeted one and just when he got it in his sights; something impacted him from the side. He was knocked back and saw that the machine he had thought was out of action was in fact back in the fight. He got the Gundam back to its feet and dodged the incoming missile attack, deactivating the holoshroud as he did.

Now that all three BuCUEs were attacking, their tactics were abruptly altered. They now grouped together into a tight formation and when the lead would move into close range combat, Kira rolled his eyes and boosted into the sky. But as he did, the other two opened fire on him from either side. Even Kira couldn't dodge all of the missiles and the impacts rattled him around the cockpit.

"Well, you guys brought this on yourselves," Kira sighed. "I tried to go easy on you." With those words he ignited his GN field, surrounding his machine with a glowing sphere of glowing green particles.

"What the hell is that?" One of the pilots asked as they stared at the Gundam.

"Attention; Andrew Waltfeld of ZAFT, this is Kira Yamato. Surrender immediately!" Kira yelled through the open-channel comm. line.

"You're crazy, kid!" Waltfeld yelled as he charged again, Kira simply shook his head in disbelief. An instant later, Kira had sliced off the BuCUE's missile launcher, all four legs and the head, completely disabling the ZAFT machine in less than a second.

"It's getting close to four o'clock." Cagalli said, looking at her watch, "You need to hurry."

"We will, but you two just be very careful." Kisaka cautioned.

Their small group had snuck into Banadiya, east to the remains of Tassil, which was the home of the Desert Tiger's garrison. It was risky, but they had to take the chance in order to gather supplies for the refugees and hopefully procure replacement equipment and weapons. Cagalli, along with Kira acting as her escort, were charged with searching the local markets for the supplies, while Sahib, Kisaka, Natarle, and Neumann would meet with a black market dealer.

"Dismiss Ens-, I mean Kira." Natarle said, nearly calling him by his rank. One slip of the tongue would compromise the mission. "H-Have a good time."

With a farewell wave from Sahib, the ATV sped down the street, leaving Kira and Cagalli in the town's square. The local scenery amazed Kira as he watched people go to and fro from the numerous vendors. He continued to gaze around as he and Cagalli made their way through the crowd.

"This is really the Tiger's base?" he asked, "Everything seems so peaceful around here."

Cagalli narrowed her eyes and grasped his hand. "Come with me." She said, not allowing him to object. She guided him through another crowd and around one corner.

What Kira saw then made him stop right in midstep. Just beyond a group of children playing soccer stood scores of buildings that had been burned out, and a number had also been reduced to rubble. Pockmarks from explosions and bullet holes gouged the street and some nearby buildings.

"As you can see, looks can be deceiving." Cagalli said and she pointed further down the street. "And that over there is part of the cause."

Kira looked to where she pointed and spotted a land battleship. It was Andrew Waltfeld's personal ship, the Lessep, a fortress-like ship whose sheer size and weaponry were imposing at the mere sight of it. He twisted his head back to the homes and shops. He understood why the people didn't rebel, as fierce retribution would happen. He hated seeing what had happened to Tassil and the refugees left behind in the wake of its destruction. Right now, the remaining supplies was sustaining them, but the amount was dwindling. And yet the Desert Dawn fighters stilled vowed to stay the course for their cause. That was something Kira couldn't understand.

Thanks to Kira's skill and steadfast resolve, they had grown confident, but perhaps too confident. He shouldered a grave responsibility, as there were no other pilots besides him and La Flaga. It was a great burden for anyone, let alone a sixteen year old teenager.

"Do you think it was wise for the Captain to let Kira off the ship?" Chandra asked, "I know it's just for a few hours, but it seems like a big chance."

"I understand how you feel." Miriallia replied, "I can't seem to relax when he's not here."

Kuzzey felt the same way. He was worried about the threat of an enemy attack happening while Kira was away.

"Don't you worry." Tolle smiled, patting Miriallia on the shoulder, "I'll protect you."

"You promise?" she teased.

Kuzzey chuckled, but it didn't change his mood. Lately he had been regretting staying on board the ship and wished he had gone on the shuttle. Then again, if he had, he'd be dead along with the rest of the unfortunate refugees. It was like almost a choice of evils.

Sahib, Kisaka, Natarle, and Neumann had been waiting for some time before another man finally entered. He wore expensive clothes, some jewelry, and a sly grin. Al Jaili was well known for arranging the sale of certain items that couldn't be legitimately purchased. As he sat, he locked eyes with Sahib.

"You seem to be doing well." Sahib sneered. "No doubt thanks to your monopolizing of the water supply."

Jaili just smiled. "I had hoped that you would've changed your way of thinking by now, Sahib. Living by following faith alone can be rather hazardous, my friend."

In spite of his mannerisms and seemingly courteous, Neumann already didn't like Jaili. He seemed like the kind who'd sell out his family if he saw a profit in it.

"I didn't want to meet with you face to face, but we cannot allow our water supply to be depleted." Sahib said through clenched teeth.

"Yes, yes, no matter where it comes from water is water, a precious thing that sustains all life."

"Enough of this!" Sahib almost shouted, "This isn't a casual conversation between friends. Will you hear our requests or not?"

"But of course." Jaili nodded, "Countrymen should help out one another, shouldn't they?" He then let out a sly hyena-like laugh, "Come, we'll discuss the details in the factory."

He led the group to an underground facility hidden underneath a building near the outskirts of the city. Natarle glanced around to see numerous containers with both Earth Forces OMNI and ZAFT insignias labeled on their sides.

"Your food, water, fuel, and other requests have already been prepared." Jaili informed them, "The only thing left are these items." With a snap of his fingers, a group of shady-looking men brought out several more crates and opened their lids.

Neumann inspected the contents. He found 75mm AP rounds, EQ17 magnetic interception unit components, equipment for a Mark 500 radar array, and other pieces of equipment that had been requested. "These are the genuine articles." He said, almost surprised.

"Where did you-?" Natarle started to asked.

However, Jaili cut her off and waved his finger as though he was disciplining a small child. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Ask me no questions."

Natarle was bewildered that Earth Forces military equipment and munitions had somehow turned up on the black market.

Sahib then turned to her. "What do you think? Will these do?"

"Yes." Natarle reluctantly nodded, "These are just what we need."

"Good, I'm pleased to hear that." Jaili grinned, "Now here is the bill. You'll find that everything you've requested will be for a reasonable price." He handed a paper to Sahib.

Neumann took a peek at the bill and his jaw dropped. "You call this reasonable?" he demanded.

Jaili shrugged, "Well, I'd offer a discount, but as Sahib has already implied, we're not best friends."

Sahib ignored the comment and passed the bill to Kisaka.

"Can we pay you with Earth currency?"

"Certainly, money is money." Jaili said, "Now that's it's settled, we'll transport your purchases right away."

Neumann and Natarle were nearly stunned by the fact that Kisaka was allowed to make the final decision on the price without even arguing. They had just thought he was only Cagalli's bodyguard, but now they weren't so sure. In any case, they had procured the items they needed.

Kira placed the numerous sacks he had practically been forced to carry down as he took a seat at an outdoor café. Cagalli meanwhile made one last check of the list.

"Well, we've got pretty much all we can." She said, "But I have to say that your girlfriend, Flay, made some pretty ridiculous requests. I mean, where'd she get the idea we could find Elizaio brand face cream and fancy skin moisturizers anywhere here?"

Kira didn't answer; instead he was relieved that they didn't have to look for anything else. All he really wanted to do now was get back to the Archangel. A waiter then brought their food and drinks. Kira set his eyes on the exotic dish. Atop thin pieces of bread were vegetables and pieces of flame cooked meat. "What are these?"

"Donel kebabs!" Cagalli said, licking her lips, "After all that shopping I'm starving." She then picked up a nearby bottle. "Here, chili sauce goes great with these."

"Hold it right there!" a voice cried out.

Kira and Cagalli turned to see a tall man dressed in a bright red and canary yellow Hawaiian shirt, straw hat, and dark sunglasses. He looked liked a tacky tourist, but Kira knew that it was Andrew Waltfeld, the Desert Tiger.

"Why waste kebabs by ruining them with chili sauce?" he boldly asked, "Yogurt sauce is a far better choice. In fact, not putting yogurt sauce on kebabs should be considered a form of blasphemy and gross insult to the chief who prepared them."

"Just who the hell do you think you are, anyway?" Cagalli demanded, "What gives you the right to walk up to strangers and tell them how they should eat their food?" With that, she dumped chili sauce on her meal and took a giant bite.

Andrew nearly wept. "Oh, such a sad waste."

Cagalli ignored him and decided to add further insult. "Delicious!" she smugly grinned. She then turned to Kira. "Here, donel kebabs and chili sauce are practically made for one another."

"Oh no, you don't!" Andrew said, shoving the bottle away with his own.

"Forget it." Cagalli countered, "I won't let you corrupt this guy."

"Corrupt? All I want to do is give him yogurt sauce."

The two continued to battle in the strange tug-of-war of sorts with their respective bottles. With a sudden splat, the kebabs on Kira's plate were smothered in the two sauces. The dish, which had looked appetizing, now was covered in mixture of red and white. Seeing the result of their quarrel, Cagalli and the man sheepishly backed off. Kira then decided to sample his meal.

"So how is it?" the man asked as he took a seat at their table.

"Hmm-not bad." Kira said. He spoke the truth, as the blending of the two sauces created a unique flavor.

"You've been doing some serious shopping, I see." The man then commented as he glanced at the bags, "Are you two throwing a party or something?"

Cagalli was growing more frustrated with him. "Mind your own business!" she snapped at him. We didn't invite you to join us! Hell, we don't even know who you are!"

As she went on voicing her objections, Andrew suddenly shifted his gaze to one side.

"Get down!" he suddenly shouted and kicked up the table.

Kira grabbed Cagalli, got her behind the overturned table and her head down. And just in time, as an explosion shook everything around them, and was followed by a stream of bullets. Customers fled in panic.

"Are you both all right?" Andrew asked as he removed a pistol from an ankle holster.

Before Kira or Cagalli could answer him, a group of armed men and even two women charged, firing assault rifle.

"Die, Coordinator, you damned space invader!" one man called out.

"For the preservation of our blue and pure world!" one of the women shouted.

Cagalli gasped. "Those people are Blue Cosmos members."

Originally, Blue Cosmos was an environmental pressure group, but now were the most radical of anti-Coordinator activist group. Their tactics even included piracy and terrorism to achieve their goal, the complete extermination of all Coordinators. Kira was afraid, not for just himself, but for Cagalli. He wondered how these people thought they knew that he was a Coordinator.

The patrons that hadn't fled suddenly pulled out their own weapons and returned fire against the terrorist. One after another, the attackers fell.

"Keep firing!" the man who had been pestering them shouted to the others, "Don't leave any of them alive!"

Kira looked at him in surprise. Amidst the fighting he saw a handgun drop near him from the dead body of one of the terrorists. The man then stood out from his cover and shot down one attacker who was trying to run away. Kira abruptly noticed something out of the corner of his eye and saw that another of the attackers was hiding behind a corner and was aiming at the man's unprotected back. Kira leapt from behind the table, scooped up the gun, and fired it, emptying the clip in only a few seconds. The first shot struck the attacker's rifle, throwing the weapons from his hand. Kira then pounced and delivered a devastating pistol whip to the man's face. The would-be assassin tumbled to the ground, and squirmed in pain thanks to a broken nose courtesy of Kira.

By then the attack was over and quickly as it had started. Nearly all of the Blue Cosmos terrorists were dead, while the others would soon be. Kira saw one of the armed patrons, a female, rush over to the terrorist he had incapacitated and then shoot him in the skull, killing him. Kira felt sick at the sight of the act, and without thinking, he raised his own gun and shot the woman in the back. The shot wouldn't be lethal if the woman got to a hospital soon, but she would be paralyzed for the remainder of her life.

Cagalli simply stared at Kira.

While she was busy staring, Kira was thankful that she hadn't been hurt. He then started to laugh when he looked at her, for she was now smothered in kebab sauce and tea.

"What's so funny?" she scolded.

Kira had to look away and turned back to the man. He noticed that he was being stared at, even though the man's sunglasses hid his eyes. What made Kira feel like shuddering was that now the man was smiling for some unknown reason.

"Commander!" a new voice called, "Are you all right, sir?"

Kira and Cagalli looked to see a red haired man in a ZAFT uniform run up to the man who had been bothering them. Kira almost instantly recognized the man as Martin DaCosta.

"Yes, DaCosta, I'm perfectly fine." Andrew answered, "And it's all thanks to this young man here." He then removed his hat and sunglasses and smiled.

Cagalli gasped. "That's Andrew Waltfeld." She whispered.

Kira knew that he had saved the life of the Desert Tiger.

"What do you mean Kira and Cagalli haven't come back?" Murrue said.

"They haven't returned to the rendezvous point as schedule, it's that simple." Kisaka told her, his face barely showing through the static caused by the N-Jammers, "Have Sahib and the others made it back there?"

"No."

"There's something else." Kisaka said grimly. "There has been a Blue Cosmos terrorist attack in town."

There was a collective gasp, followed by concerned muttering.

"How is that possible?" Murrue asked, "How could anyone have know Kira was a Coordinator?"

"I don't believe that he was the target." Kisaka replied, his face and voice being further distorted by the static, "But we haven't been able to contact him or Cagalli and I cannot conduct a search alone."

Murrue turned around. "Officer Pal! Get a hold of Lieutenant Badgiruel at once!"

"Look, we're fine, really." Kira insisted for the umpteenth time.

He and Cagalli had been driven to the hotel that the ZAFT forces had converted into a headquarters. While they tried to remain casual, it was difficult when they found themselves in front of rows of soldiers and seeing a number of GINN Ochre mobile suits in the courtyard.

"He's right." Cagalli added, "We should really get back home."

"No, no." Waltfeld told them, "I rudely interrupted your meal and end up having you save my life, so the very least I could do is let you clean up and give some fresh clothes."

Kira and Cagalli looked to each other, and then slowly stepped out of the jeep and right into the middle of enemy territory. They watched as the soldiers saluted Waltfeld as he walked past, not seeming to care that he was out of uniform. As they followed him inside, Kira saw that the red haired solider eyed him suspiciously and quickly averted his gaze. As they turned down the hall, they saw a beautiful woman appear.

"Welcome back, Andy." She smiled.

"Hello, Aisha." Waltfeld said back as he wrapped an arm around her and planted a kiss to her lips.

"So I take it this is the girl you mentioned?" she asked, placing a gentle hand on Cagalli's shoulder.

"Yes, please do what you can with her. As you can see, she's been plastered in her lunch."

"Come this way." Aisha said, taking Cagalli by the hand. Both Kira and Cagalli became anxious and she saw it in their eyes. "Now, don't you worry." She told Kira, "I promise to take good care of her and we'll be back soon. Until then, why don't you and Andy talk?"

Kira didn't like the fact he was separated from Cagalli, especially inside an enemy base.

"Come on in." Waltfeld called to him, "Why don't you make yourself at home? Would you care for some coffee?" He had already started brewing a pot.

"Sure." Kira timidly answered and looked around the room. The décor was very different than what he had seen while growing up in space. The room itself was large, with silk runs lining the floor, an antique writing desk placed near the window, and there was even a working fireplace. It was then he spotted something he did recognize. Sitting atop a mantelpiece above the fireplace was a scale replica of Evidence 01, the fossilized remains of an alien lifeform discovered by George Glenn during his voyage to Jupiter.

"Have you ever seen the real thing?" Waltfeld asked as he brought over a pair of cups.

Kira shook his head. The real one was kept somewhere on one of the PLANTs.

"People call this the '˜Whale Rock', but I really don't know why." Waltfeld said, staring at the object, "It appears to have wings and whales don't have wings now do they?"

"Well, no." Kira nodded, "But it is an alien species."

"You do have a point. Anyway, please try this." Waltfeld handed Kira one of the cups, "I've blended together mocha sidamo, the highest quality mocha, with ten percent santos number two. It's a custom blend. The taste may be a tad bitter."

Kira took a sip. "This is delicious."

Waltfeld's face brightened. "Oh, you really like taste? Most of my men here don't quite have an acquired taste for it. Tell you what, why don't you feel free to take some of the beans back with you?"

"Um, thanks."

And with that, they went on with their talk, mostly concerning the subtleties of brewing roasting coffee blends. Waltfeld's eyes went back to the replica.

"You know, Evidence 01's discovery is interesting, but it's also a disaster to a degree."

"What do you mean by a disaster?"

"It symbolizes that people can go farther than anyone ever thought possible." Waltfeld stared straight at Kira, "And that's the primary root of this entire war."

Kira lowered his head. "I've never thought of it that way." He said, "I always thought of it as hope for mankind."

"Hope?"

"Sure, I think that it'd be very lonely if humans were the only lifeforms in the universe, but that creature proves that we're not alone." For a moment he thought that Waltfeld would laugh at such a notion.

Instead, the older man nodded knowingly. "I take it that you're a lonely person?" he said kindly.

Kira did feel that way. Even though he fought alongside the Naturals, he'd never be one of them.

There then came a knock at the door. Aisha then entered, with Cagalli hiding behind her. "Well, what do you think?" she stepped aside and unveiled Cagalli's new look.

Kira's jaw dropped when he saw her. Her hair had been washed and styled, and she now wore a long sea foam-colored dressed that showed off her figure. Her face was covered in a light coat of makeup as well.

_'If only she wasn't my sister...'_ Kira thought, but the thought quickly trailed off as quickly remembered that, despite being back in a younger body, he was still married.

Both Kira and Cagalli took a seat on the couch as Aisha excused herself. Cagalli then sampled some of the coffee, not saying anything until she had finished her cup.

"So what's the big idea with making me wear this get-up?" she asked, "Is this another one of your games, Waltfeld?"

Waltfeld tilted his head. "Aisha selected that outfit. Besides, what's all this about games?"

"You know, wearing disguises and sneaking around town. Or running the residents of Tassil out of their town before burning it to the ground?"

Kira couldn't believe what she was doing, confronting him so straightforward. If she wasn't careful, he'd find out who they really were.

"You're certainly direct." Waltfeld said, locking eyes with her, "I like that, especially since I don't like playing games."

"Don't toy with me!" Cagalli snapped, slapping the table hard.

"Cagalli-" Kira grabbed her shoulders to calm her down. He could feel her shaking and remembered that the man sitting across from them was responsible for the deaths of many of her comrades. Waltfeld's good natured expression disappeared, replaced by one that was bone chilling. Cagalli were nearly petrified by his cold glare, but Kira was completely unfazed.

"So do you have a solution to end this war?" he asked, "I'd like to hear the opinion of a follow mobile suit pilot."

Cagalli gasped. "How'd you know...?"

When Waltfeld burst out laughing, she realized that it had been a bluff and she had stumbled right into it.

"There are those who think of war as a complex game, but they are very wrong." Waltfeld stood and stepped across the room, "Unlike in sports, the game of war has no set time limit and no points are awarded, so how do you determine the winners and the losers? Does it end when all your enemies are dead?" Right then, a gun seemed to materialize in his hand and he aimed it at his 'guests'.

Kira drew Cagalli closer to him, not taking his eyes off the older man as he replied. "It's actually quite simple, the war will end once extremists are removed from power."

"You really should consider giving up." Waltfeld scoffed, "Even if you possess berserker capabilities and could get past me, you still wouldn't be able to fight your way out of here since everyone here is a Coordinator, just like you." He paused, "How do I know? Because I've watched you in battle twice and even briefly engaged you the other day. Your piloting skills are too good for you to be a Natural, but even among Coordinators, your skills are superior. I don't know why you've chosen to fight against your brethren, but because of it, you and I are enemies, and as stated in the military creed, you must kill your enemy whenever you see him."

Cagalli shut her eyes, expecting to hear the gunshot that was sure to follow. However, it didn't happen. Instead, she was surprised when Waltfeld actually lowered his weapon and put it away.

"But not today." He continued, his good natured expression returning, "After all, you saved my life today and this isn't the battlefield. "Well, you're free to go since you aren't my prisoners." As the youths turned to leave he said, "Oh, one last thing." He tossed over a blue colored pouch to Kira. "Those are some of the beans, as promised. I've enjoyed our conversation, though it might have been better for us all if it hadn't happened."

Kira and Cagalli exchanged quick looks before they went to the door. As it was pulled opened, Waltfeld had one final thing to say to them.

"See you on the battlefield, Kira and Cagalli."

Kira allowed a sad sigh to escape his lips, but before he shut the door behind them, Kira casually said. "I'm not a Coordinator." Andrew's face twisted into one of confusion as Kira then shut the door. Kira and Cagalli found Aisha standing in the hall right away. She smiled kindly and handed Cagalli a bundle.

"Your clothes."

Cagalli took her cleaned garments and looked at herself. "Um, the dress-"

"You can keep it. It really looks good on you." Aisha led them to the door. "Please hurry, your people are looking for you as we speak."

The pair lowered their heads and quickly left.

Waltfeld watched them leave the building from the window.

"So how do you think it went?" Aisha asked as she stepped next to him.

"I feel so terrible." He answered, "I really like those two."

Aisha laughed knowingly. "Yes, me too." She nestled into his arms.

When they were a safe distance away, Kira and Cagalli took one last glance at the building. They couldn't shake the feeling the ZAFT troops would come chasing after them, but nothing of the sort happened.

"It's strange." She said, "He didn't take us prisoner and just let us go like it was nothing."

Kira nodded, when Waltfeld had them at gunpoint, he could've easily killed them, but instead he released them. "If anything, Andrew is not my enemy." he whispered to himself.

"What the hell is command thinking?" Waltfeld demanded a few days later as he tossed the documents aside. "I specifically requested BuCUEs and instead they send us ZuOOTs."

DaCosta felt the same way, however neither had expected to lose the number of BuCUEs they had, four destroyed and two badly damaged, in such a brief time. "I'm sorry, sir. Gibraltar said that's all they could send."

The TFA-2 ZuOOT was a terrestrial combat artillery mobile suit. In desert conditions, it could transform from a humanoid configuration to roll on caterpillar treads. In spite of its firepower, it was cumbersome compared to a BuCUE. Waltfeld was dissatisfied with the equipment he was given, especially since he was preparing for a critical battle. Apart from the newly arrived ZuOOTs, the only other mobile suits he had available were GINN OCHER units and one TMF/A-803 LaGOWE.

DaCosta looked the gunwale's window to see a transport carrier unloading the red colored ZuOOTs along with two mobile suits he had never seen before. He then saw two young men wearing red flightsuits that identified them as ace pilots.

"Well, they've also sent us two members of the Le Creuset Team."

Waltfeld rolled his eyes. "Oh I'm sure they have experience in desert combat." He said sardonically.

"They are from an elite team." DaCosta reminded him.

"I just don't like that Le Creuset fellow." Waltfeld suddenly said, "I don't trust a man who hides his face behind a mask." He then stood. "Oh well, let's go meet the new arrivals." He, along with DaCosta, went down to the Lesseps' deck.

When they arrived, they found the new pilots holding their hands to their faces to block the sand-laden wind.

"This place is awful." The blond pilot grumbled.

"You're get use to it." Waltfeld said, waving to the newcomers. "Welcome to the Lesseps. I'm Commander Andrew Waltfeld."

Both pilots stood at attention and saluted. "Yzak Joule of the Le Creuset Team, reporting for duty."

"Dearka Elsman, the same."

"I heard you had a somewhat difficult time adjusting from space." Waltfeld said, then he took notice of the scar running down Yzak's face. "It's said when a soldier doesn't correct a removable scar that it's something they've sworn something on it. A symbol of disgrace, perhaps?"

Yzak grew enraged. "Never mind my face!" he rudely replied, "Where is the legged ship?"

DaCosta sighed at what happening in front of him. True, the Commander shouldn't have prodded the boy with such a question, but Yzak was at fault for snapping at a superior officer so disrespectfully.

Waltfeld only smirked. "It's currently located one hundred and twelve miles to the west. We've sent out unmanned recon drones to take photos. I trust you'd like to see them?" He then stepped past them to look over the pair of mobile suits being unloaded. He was took a sudden notice of the Duel, noting its similarities to the Strike.

"Excuse me, Commander Waltfeld." Dearka spoke suddenly, "We've heard that you've engaged the Earth Forces' mobile suit as well."

Waltfeld turned and shrugged. "Yes, I've fought against it, the same as you." He then chuckled.

DaCosta suddenly felt anxious. It was like the Commander seemed nervous. He shook away that thought, as he believed that no one could ever defeat the Desert Tiger.

The Archangel's engines came to life, while men hurried to make one final check on weapons and load their vehicles. Some said quick good-byes to their families. Though none said anything, they all feared that it may be their last. Amidst the activity, someone called out Cagalli's name. Cagalli then went to the source and found Ahmed's mother. She pulled a green colored stone and gave it to Cagalli.

"What's this?"

"It's something that Ahmed wanted to give you." The older woman explained. "This stone is said to protect against danger. Please take it with you, it'll keep you safe." She smiled and put her hand over Cagalli's.

"Thank you." She said, almost at tears, and she bid Ahmed's mother farewell.

"Everyone!" Sahib's voice boomed, "We're moving out!"

Cagalli held the stone close as she leapt into her vehicle. There was so many things riding on the outcome of the approaching battle and she needed all the strength she could muster to fight it.

Back on the Lesseps, activity surged as sensor lit up.

"Have they begun moving out?" Waltfeld asked as he walked inside the bridge.

"Affirmative, sir. They are currently advancing to the eastward."

Waltfeld checked the map and studied the possible course. "They must be heading for the ruins of the old Talpatia factory. That is an interesting move." He paused. "I'd do the same with I were in their shoes."

"Commander, your orders, sir?" DaCosta asked.

His superior rubbed his chin. "Hmm, I had planned to wait a bit longer, but now things have changed."

"So are we going to fight or what?" Yzak blurted out as he and Dearka stood by.

Waltfeld nodded and turned to his crew. "Prepare to launch the Lesseps, code two. Contact the Petri and Henry Carter as well and relay the orders." As he crew obliged, he folded his arms. If the enemy wanted a fight, then he and his men were going to give them one.

"Come on, eat!" La Flaga urged.

Kira had taken very little bites of his meal, when the older pilot placed even more onto his plate. He looked to find that they were donel kebabs.

La Flaga took a bite and smiled. "This local dish is amazing."

"Uh, haven't you already had enough to eat, sir?" Kira asked, as La Flaga had gobbled down a full plate of food.

"We gotta keep up our strength." Like other pilots, La Flaga liked to raise his blood sugar level prior to battle. He then passed a bottle over. "Here, yogurt sauce is great with these."

"That's what he said."

La Flaga paused, food halfway in his mouth, before swallowing. "I see he's a man with excellent taste."

Kira could almost taste the yogurt and chili sauce blend.

"Look, kid," La Flaga told him, "it's better not to know anything about your enemy. Do what you can to forget it."

"What?"

"It's hard to kill somebody you know and you may hesitate at the wrong moment-" he warned.

Kira realized that it wouldn't be long until he'd face the infamous Desert Tiger. "Unlike in sports, the game of war has no set time limit and no points are awarded, so how do you determine the winners and the losers? Does it end when all your enemies are dead?"

Kira shook his head, he had helped to bring about peace before, and he would do so again. His thoughts were then interrupted by the thundering boom of a far-off explosion.

Cagalli's ATV came to an abrupt halt and she stood to look to the horizon. She saw that the minefield had erupted in several explosions. Moments later came a sound like rolling thunder.

Sahib stood and turned to the others. "It's all right!" he shouted, "We aren't under attack!" He looked back to where the landmines had been set. Now they were useless and hadn't dealt any damage to the enemy. "They knew where they were and sat them all off at once."

Cagalli clenched until they hurt as she thought of Waltfeld and that tacky Hawaiian shirt of his. How was it; that someone who acted so ridiculous was such a brilliant tactician? The faces of her slain comrades flashed in her mind. Even though he had shown mercy to her and Kira, she wouldn't do the same. She was going to make Waltfeld pay with his life.

"That's right, equip the first with the launcher and equip the second with the sword!" La Flaga yelled into the intercom as he changed into his flightsuit. Beside him, Kira was doing the same. "It's easier to switch machines than switch equipment." He was talking about the Striker Packs and the Skygraspers. If the battle ran long, he had the extra task of delivering the weapons to Kira. He then turned to the youth. "You know we can't count on the resistance to do too much, right?"

Kira nodded, knowing the enemy would do whatever it took to keep the Archangel from breaking through.

La Flaga smirked. "Anyway, just do your best out there." He said before turning to leave.

Miriallia's voice then came through the PA system. "Lieutenant Commander La Flaga and Ensign Yamato, proceed to the hanger immediately."

"I have enemy contact!" Kuzzey shouted, looking at his console, "The signal's weak, but there is something approaching from 0-1-0!"

"I've got two large heat sources!" Chandra added, "It looks like one carrier and one destroyer."

Murrue figured that they were the Lesseps and an escort ship. "Begin the ambush!" she ordered.

Down in the hanger, both Kira and Athrun were ready to go. Kira was in the 000 Gundam, while Athrun was in the Aegis.

La Flaga was the first to launch in Skygrasper 1, equipped with the launcher striker pack. Kira stepped onto the linear catapult and launched. Immediately he encountered ZAFT fighter copters and VTOLs. The enemy vehicles opened fire, but he got his shield up to deflect the shots. Below, the Desert Dawn fighters fired with RPGs and brought down a number of the aircraft.

Kira hurried to assess the situation. The Lesseps and its escort were closing in and more ZAFT aircraft entered the battle. He knew any hesitation today would get him killed, so he acted fast. La Flaga in Skygrasper 1 was already making short work of the ZAFT aircraft. He nimbly maneuvered around the enemy and opened fire, taking many of them down in a single pass. Whether in a mobile armor or fighter plane, the Hawk of Endymion was a force to be reckoned with.

The Lesseps' hatch opened and launched its mobile suit force. Kira recognized the GINN design, but noticed some different armaments. GINN OCHERs came equipped with three smoke dischargers mounted to their right shoulders, a hyper velocity rifle, and a heavy axe weapon in place of a sword. He knew counted five of them before firing his verniers and entering the battlefield.

Waltfeld now donned on his signature orange and black striped flightsuit. Fangs and eyes were painted on the helmet, making it appear a tiger's head. He was making his way to his new mobile suit when an angry voice yelled, "This is ridiculous!"

Waltfeld turned to find both Yzak and Dearka. The former looked very agitated.

"Why are we stationed on the Lesseps?" he demanded, "We sent here to fight the Earth Forces, you know!"

"You're staying on the Lesseps because those are orders." Waltfeld answered, "It's that simple."

"But we have more experience in fighting them."

"From what we've heard, you have more experience losing to them." Aisha interrupted. She too wore a custom flightsuit, only hers was a pale pink.

Waltfeld gave her a look which told her not to aggravate the young pilots anymore than they already were. He then turned back to them. "Your machines haven't had their operating systems tuned for this sort of combat. You wouldn't be any use out there."

"That's-" Yzak started, but was halted by his comrade.

"That's enough, Yzak." Dearka said, "We have our orders." He led his comrade away as Waltfeld and Aisha climbed aboard their machine.

Had the two pilots have the capability to rewrite an OS in the heat of battle, then Waltfeld would've considered allowing them to join. However if they did, he was concerned that they'd only get in his way. He wanted to fight the Strike one-on-one.

Aisha giggled as if she could read his mind. "Remember this isn't personal. He is the enemy after all."

"Yes, I know."

Aisha took her seat in the front gunner's chair while Waltfeld took the pilot's seat. Much to the surprise of many, Aisha had the best aim of the entire squadron, outperforming everyone one else. They were now settled in the cockpit of the beast-like TMF/A-803 LaGOWE. The yellow-orange colored machine was similar to the BuCUE, but vastly more powerful. Twin beam cannons were mounted to its back and beam sabers were placed within its "jaws".

"DaCosta, take care of the ship while we're away." Waltfeld ordered.

"Yes, sir." DaCosta replied, looking at his superior's face on the monitor. He swore he had never seen Waltfeld so excited in all the time he had served with him. "You're clear to launch, sir."

"Fire Gottfrieds and Valiants!" Natarle shouted. At her command, the Archangel's weapons unleashed a fury of firepower at the enemy in a brutal back and forth clash.

Outside, the ATVs continued to shoot down the ZAFT aircraft. The enemy's attack was primary on the Archangel and they didn't focus on the seemingly insignificant vehicles for the time being. The riders of one ATV brought down three VTOLs in one pass. They cheered, but their vehicle disappeared a moment later, destroyed by the fire of a GINN OCHER's hyper rifle.

Back on the bridge, the gauges at Sai's station flashed. "ECM and ECCM strength is up seventeen percent!"

"The Valiants' barrel temperature is reaching dangerous levels!" Officer Pal ordered.

"Captain, permission to use the Lohengrin?" Natarle requested.

"No, it'll cause too much damage and contaminate the surrounding area!" Murrue shouted, "Coordinate the output of the Valiants via the charge cycle!"

"But-"

"That's an order, Lieutenant!"

Natarle obeyed, but with great reluctance. She wanted to make the point that everything would be lost if the ship was destroyed.

On the screen, everyone could see the Skygrasper concentrating on the destroyer. The intense beam of the Agni obliterated the ZuOOTs stationed on the deck and dealt severe damage to the hull. A fiery explosion quickly followed and the destroyer abruptly slowed its speed and changed course, veering away from the battle.

"They're retreating!"

The crew let out a cheer at the sight of the ZAFT ship falling back. Now all that remained was the Lesseps, or so they thought. As though on cue, a tremendous shock shook the ship. Something had hit them from behind.

"What was that?"

Tonomura looked to the radar. "There's an enemy ship coming right at us from one-eighty!"

"They had another ship waiting to ambush us." Natarle growled.

Murrue realized she had underestimated Waltfeld's tactics. While attacking from the front, another ship moved around and snuck up behind them. Suddenly, a barrage of missiles stuck the Archangel, causing it to tilt and plow into the Talpatia ruins, the site of an old mining station. The ship slammed into the remaining structures and then to the sandy soil. Now immobilized, it was a sitting duck as the Lesseps closed in.

"Fire the Helldarts and Corinthos!" Natarle ordered, trying to get some sort of counterattack underway.

Tonomura had just finished analyzing the data of the enemy ship. "This can't be, the Duel and Buster are on the deck of the Lesseps!"

The crew couldn't believe the news.

"Give me full thrusters and ascend at once!" Murrue ordered, "The Gottfrieds' firing line can't hit them from here!"

"I'm trying, Captain!" Neumann called back, "The ship is caught on something!"

When they collided, part of the ship became tangled in one of the old buildings' skeletal structuring. They were now unable to move and couldn't bring their weapons up to defend themselves. They were helpless.

Cagalli brought the ATV she was riding to a sudden halt when she and Kisaka witnessed the Archangel's crash. "Why aren't they moving?" she asked, "Have they lost all power?"

Kisaka searched for the Strike, when he saw Cagalli leap from the vehicle. "Cagalli, wait!" He tried to follow, but a wayward missile struck the ground between them, nearly causing the ATV to topple to its side. When he had recovered, he caught a glimpse of Cagalli safely climbing into one of the Archangel's hatches.

The 000 Gundam, meanwhile battled one of the GINN OCHERs, beam saber against axe. Kira leapt into the air, freeing and igniting a second beam saber, bringing both of the glowing blades straight down, severing both arms from the ZAFT mobile suit. Without wasting time, he hurled the saber in his right hand, piercing the mono-eye of another of the ZAFT machines. He fired a shot from his beam rifle at another of the GINN OCHERs, the shot striking the head, disabling the machine. In a short time, he had been able to disable all five of the enemy mobile suits. Though panting hard, he looked to see the Archangel under attack from the rear. He turned to help, but suddenly he saw an energy beam coming right at him. He almost didn't raise his shield to block it. He didn't know where the shot could've come from, as he was certain all the GINN OCHERs were completely disabled. He turned to find an orange colored mobile suit the likes of which he had only seen once before.

"There he is." Kira whispered to himself as he dodged a volley of beam blasts.

"You were right, Andy. The boy is very good." Aisha said as she kept her eyes to the scope.

Waltfeld observed his opponent's movements. "He seems to be fighting calmer today. He seems to be in more control." He maneuvered the LaGOWE with great ease. "If worse comes to worse, do you think he'd surrender?"

"No."

Waltfeld knew that it wouldn't be any fun if his enemy simply gave up. "And neither will we."

Murdoch flailed his arms when he saw Cagalli running across the hanger and right for the gangplank leading to Skygrasper 2. "What do you think you're doing?"

Cagalli was already starting up the engine and commencing a quick systems check. "I'm taking this thing out! Now open that hatch before I take off!"

"Ah, hell." Murdoch grumbled and punched the controls that would open the hatch.

Cagalli quickly lifted off and streaked out of the hanger. She felt her chest constrict as the G-forces hit. After a moment she was able to fully breathe again and strained to move the controls. Piloting the real thing was different from the simulator. After her initial awkwardness, she began to handle it like a pro.

"Captain, Skygrasper 2 has just launched!" Tonomura shouted.

"What, who's piloting it?" Murrue demanded.

Cagalli switched on her radio. "It's me, Cagalli Yula!" She then tilted the controls and headed for the Lesseps, where La Flaga was already fighting. She fired her guns, the rounds blasting a turret, and blowing it to smithereens.

"Well, not bad, girl!" La Flaga complimented, "Just don't crash!"

The two Skygraspers flew across the sky like a pair of birds of prey, concentrating their new attack on the destroyer. La Flaga fired the Agni while Cagalli fired the Panzer Eisen anchor, grappling onto the hull. Swinging like a pendulum, she slashed another turret with the sword. She shouted in triumph and went for another pass. But then, she saw several missiles coming up behind her. She evaded, but two collided with each other, exploding. Bits of shrapnel hit her right engine.

"Damn it!" she yelled striking her console in anger. "I was on a roll!" Black smoke streamed from the fuselage and the thrust was dropping quickly. She pulled the controls with all her might to ensure a soft landing in the sand. As soon as her hit the ground, she checked the radio frequencies to hopefully overhear any chatter being broadcasted between the Strike and the Archangel.

The ship was in grave danger. In spite the efforts of Neumann, the only results of his attempt to break the ship free was the sound of grinding and bending metal. Suddenly, a shot from the Buster missed and instead hit the building that trapped them. Then the ship was freed and rose into the air. Their field of vision expanded and they finally got the Lesseps in their sights.

"Starboard, sixty degrees!" Murrue ordered, "Ready the Gottfrieds!"

When the order came, the Gottfrieds fired, sending high powered energy beam at their target. The Buster and Duel leapt into the air, narrowly dodging the shot. The beams struck the Lesseps' main gun, taking both it and the unfortunate ZuOOT next to it out. Thick smoke billowed from the ship's hull.

"This is bad, Andy." Aisha said, seeing all the damage the Lesseps had sustained.

Waltfeld hissed through his teeth. There were no more ZuOOTs or GINN OCHERs, and now the Buster and Duel were sluggishly trudging through the sand as Kira had done early in the first fight. They wouldn't be of any use. He shouted in frustration and sped the LaGOWE forward, charging the Strike. The Gundam sidestepped the charge and fired, taking off the LaGOWE's right forearm.

"Watch it, he's going to get us!" Aisha cautioned.

"I know, I know!"

The 000 Gundam aimed for another shot, but Aisha fired first, hitting the rifle's energy clip. Kira tossed it away as it exploded. Waltfeld saw his chance and rushed forward again. The Strike pulled out a beam saber and the two mobile suits clashed, resulting in the LaGOWE's being cut apart and rendered inoperable. Waltfeld pulled back and hailed the Lesseps.

"DaCosta!"

His subordinate's face came on the screen. "Yes, Commander?"

"DaCosta, give the order to retreat. Gather what forces we have remaining and withdraw back to Banadiya. After that, contact Gibraltar and inform them of the situation. He switched off the channel, not waiting for a response. "You should get away while you still can, my love."

Aisha turned back and smiled. "I think I'll stick around and see what happens."

"Don't give me that, you know what's going to happen."

"Right, and I'll stay right with you until the very end."

Waltfeld had to smile. He gazed into her eyes and every feature of her beautiful face. "All right!" he shouted and charged the LaGOWE once more.

Cagalli switched through the channels on her radio until she picked something up. After some more adjusting, she could hear Kira's voice clearly.

"Waltfeld, please stop this! This battle's over!"

"Not for me, it isn't!" Waltfeld's voice snarled over the channel. Somehow, Cagalli had patched through a channel for both Kira and Waltfeld. "This isn't over until one of us is dead!"

Kira couldn't understand why Waltfeld was still fighting. His forces had retreated, the Lesseps wasn't in any condition to fight, and the Archangel was safe. The LaGOWE's beam sabers came close to cutting into the 000 Gundam's torso.

"There are no clear rules for ending a war!"

"I already told you; the war will end once extremists are removed from power!" Kira yelled as he dodged the attack, but not without having the tips of his left wing sliced off. He parried and sparks flew from the LaGOWE's back. Kira sighed as he freed and ignited the beam saber from the left elbow of his Gundam, and an instant later, he had sliced off the LaGOWE's legs and head, completely disabling the ZAFT machine in less than a second.

The 000 Gundam now stood victorious over the crippled LaGOWE, glaring down at it.

"I said surrender, do it now!" Kira yelled as he freed the twin buster rifle from his machine's back, aiming it at the orange and grey machine which now lay at his Gundam's feet.

Andrew could see that the twin barrels of the massive rifle were beginning to glow with a yellow light. Just as he was about to surrender he heard Yzak Joule yelling over the comm. line then an instant later, a blue and white blur slammed into the enemy machine, knocking it onto its back.

"Now I'll end th-" Yzak was cut off as the Aegis suddenly appeared, dropping the veil of its newly equipped Mirage Colloid and landing a jarring blow to the Duel's face, forcing it off of the 000 Gundam.

"A-Athrun?" Yzak asked as he stared at the Aegis.

"Stop fighting, Yzak." Athrun replied as he ignited the beam saber on his right wrist, quickly severing both of the Duel's arms along with its head. Yzak snarled, as he quickly retreated, but to his surprise, neither of the enemy machines gave chase.

"So, Andrew Waltfeld." Murrue frowned about ten minutes later. "This was really not what I was expecting."

"I wasn't expecting that machine to have the kind of abilities and weapons that it displayed in the last battle." Andrew replied from behind his bars in the brig. "Even though Kira usually hides it, he's got a killer instinct."

"Well, I hope he can keep his 'killer' instinct under control," Murrue said grumpily. Behind her, Kira just rolled his eyes.

As the two of them stepped out of the brig, Natarle met up with them. "Well, it looks like Mashib has finalized his half of the plans for trying to take on the ZAFT forces in the area."

"Good. Then we can look at taking out the local ZAFT forces and then depart with the supplies we need," Murrue replied while nodding.

* * *

Chapter 6 is now complete.

As with the last chapter, I only have one question;

Do you guys think that Kira should lose control (intentionally or otherwise) of the 'killer instinct' which Andrew is claiming that Kira has?

* * *

****

AS ALWAYS, PLEASE REVIEW AND FEEL FREE TO OFFER ANY IDEAS!


	7. Relaxation and Revelations

******The power to change the past - Chapter 7**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny, or Gundam 00, so please point that damned lawsuit cannon at someone else!

**Warning:** This chapter contains a lemon, and is not suited for anyone under the age of 18.

* * *

After taking the Desert Tiger prisoner and escaping the African continent, the Archangel coasted across the Red Sea as though it was an enormous whale. The plan was to make it to the Pacific Ocean, stop at Orb for a few days, and then continue on until the ship reached JOSH-A. But until they reached Orb, the crew had been granted some time off to enjoy the scenery. While Natarle disapproved of it, for concern of the letting their guard down thus resulting in an enemy attack, Murrue knew it would be good for the crew to relax.

On the bridge Murrue glanced down at the small screen on her armrest when a message suddenly popped up. "This is Freedom; the Mirage Colloid, GN Field and Wings of Light are now online, Ma'am."

Murrue grinned at the message; she and Kira had devised a system with which they could communicate privately even while they were on duty. Right now, Kira was in the hanger, supposedly making adjustments to the OS of his Gundam, but what he was actually doing was synchronizing the Gundam's systems with those of the Archangel.

Murrue smiled as she quickly typed a reply. "This is Archangel; activate the Mirage Colloid, I know that we can hold our own, but I still don't want to come under attack while on our way to Orb."

Onboard the ZAFT submarine which was currently pursuing the Archangel, panic erupted when the enemy ship suddenly vanished from their scopes.

"This location cannot be spotted by a satellite." Kisaka informed Murrue as the Archangel was escorted towards a massive underground cove where there was a secret docking bay a few weeks later. "Onogoro Island is where Morgenroete creates many of its advanced ships and other technology."

Murrue turned to him and even though she knew the truth, she still asked. "Isn't it time that you tell us who you really are?"

Kisaka smirked, but then stood at attention. "I am Colonel Ledonir Kisaka, Orb Land Forces, 21st Special Airborne Division." He tilted his head towards Cagalli. "And her bodyguard."

"So she's the real thing?" Miriallia whispered to Tolle.

"I guess so."

"What are we to do now?" Murrue asked.

"You'll know once the Lion arrives." Kisaka answered.

"Who's the Lion?"

"That's the nickname of Uzumi Nara Athha. There are those who call him 'The Lion of Orb'."

Yzak flung the document on the table. "Do they really expect us to believe this bullshit?" He exclaimed, referring to Orb's official press release. "We're being made to look like idiots." He shot a glare at Dearka before continuing. "We saw the ship on our scopes ten minutes before it entered their territory, we could have easily shot it down in ten minutes!"

The three ZAFT pilots were now gathered inside the briefing room of the Cousteau, a ZAFT submarine that was hiding just outside of Orb territory.

"For all we know, the legged ship has already slipped out and gotten away." Dearka added.

"Dearka!" Nicol scolded.

However it was to be expected that Yzak and Dearka would be this aggravated. The Archangel had once again slipped out of their grasp, and they had very little reason to actually the press release. After all, Heliopolis was a colony that was owned by Orb and was used to illegally manufacture mobile suits.

"Look, it doesn't matter what we believe." Nicol said, again looking at his copy of the document. "We can't refute this as long as this is Orb's formal statement."

"I hate people like those two!" Kira growled, referring to Flay and Natarle, as he slammed his fist into the shower wall while the nearly scalding hot water mercilessly sprayed down on his body.

On his way to the Captain's quarters, he had passed by both of the women. Natarle merely glared at him, but Flay had the gall to try and slap him, which only resulted in her being knocked unconscious, courtesy of a nose-breaking punch which had been delivered by Kira, before the red-headed girl could hope to react.

Murrue jumped slightly when she heard a loud thump from inside the bathroom, worried that Kira may have slipped and hurt himself, she quickly, yet cautiously walked into the bathroom. She was relieved to find Kira standing in the spray of the shower, which had meant that he hadn't slipped and fallen as she had feared.

After silently watching him for a few seconds, Murrue tapped on the shower door to get his attention, the sudden noise causing him to jump slightly. Kira quickly grabbed the edge of the door and slid it open slightly.

"Is something wrong Murrue?" Kira quietly asked.

Instead of answering him, she quickly disrobed, and then she grabbed the door, quickly opening it and stepping into the shower, before finally closing the door behind her. Murrue smiled at Kira as she reached past him to get the soap from the soap dish. When she did this, her tits pressed up against him. She grabbed the soap, got her hands wet, lathered them up, and put the soap back in the soap dish.

She started to wash his back up and down. She used her fingernails to stimulate his skin and help clean any oil and dirt from the pores. She washed his back for a few minutes. She could tell Kira was getting excited and wanted her to hurry up and finish so he could turn, rinse off, and show her how excited he was. When Murrue finished, she reached around him, rinsed her hands off, and told him he could turn and rinse off his back. When he turned, he looked right at Murrue's tits and the hair on her pubic area. Murrue looked down and saw that his dick was hard and sticking straight up.

Murrue smiled as she looked into Kira's eyes, and after a few seconds she asked. "Kira, do you want anything else washed?"

Kira grinned as he replied. "You can wash anything you want, Murrue."

Murrue allowed a mischievous smile cross her lips as she stepped forward and reached over him to get the soap again. His dick pressed up between him and her tits pressed against his chest. She lathered up her hands, put the soap back in the soap dish, and then stepped back.

She then wrapped her hands around his dick and started to wash it and his balls. She could feel him getting harder and the feel of his balls getting fuller. She stroked him up and down, cupped his balls in her hands, and washed them also. Kira reached up and started to play with her tits. He squeezed them, massaged them, and pinched her now rock hard nipples.

Murrue groaned, he was making her entire body tingle, and she was getting so wet. She finished washing his dick, turned him around, and helped him rinse it off as well as his balls. She took her time by stroking his dick and massaging his balls while they were being rinsed off and when they were completely rinsed off, Kira turned around to face Murrue. She smiled as she stepped forward and asked him. "Do you think you're clean enough now, Kira?"

He responded by pulling her into his arms and kissing her. His hard dick now was pressing into her stomach area. She moaned into his mouth and once they had broken the kiss, she gently took his hand and led him out of the shower where they carefully dried each other off. Finally when they were both dry, Murrue once again took Kira's hand and led him back into their bedroom.

Once they were back in the bedroom, Murrue sat Kira down on the bed, and vanished into the closet. When she returned a moment later she carefully put a collar, which had a three foot long chain link leash, around Kira's neck, smiling when he didn't even try to stop her.

The collar which Murrue had placed around Kira's neck was thin, an inch tall at most, a rather dainty size. Second, the collar was lined with a comfortable fur-like material, which meant that she may have intended for him to wear this collar a long time, perhaps on a near-permanent basis. Third, he could feel a tiny chain extending down from the front-center of the collar to what felt like a small heart-shaped pendant against his collarbone.

As soon as the collar was around Kira's neck, Murrue picked up the handle which was at the end of the three foot long leash with her free left hand and smiled sweetly at him.

"Turn around and put your hands behind your back!" Murrue suddenly ordered, her voice now full of authority. Kira quickly complied, but he was still shocked when she put a pair of handcuffs on him. The steel felt cold on his wrists, and he instantly realized that he couldn't cover himself at all with his hands firmly cuffed behind his back. She then led him over to the bed, carefully securing the handle of the leash on the bedpost, then she helped him to lie down and finally she lay beside him.

_'I hope no one walks in on us like this.'_ Kira thought to himself as Murrue began to passionately kiss him, he quickly pushed the thought aside as he returned her affection as best he could.

Fate was not too kind to the young Innovator or his wife, as the door suddenly hissed open. Murrue quickly yanked the sheets over both herself and Kira, covering their naked bodies.

Kira and Murrue both stared at Cagalli Yula Athha as she stood in the doorway. For a long moment, there was total silence as the three exchanged awkward glances. Finally, Kira muttered under his breath. "Cagalli, if you weren't my sister, I would beat the shit out of you for walking in on me like this."

Murrue whipped her head towards Kira, while simultaneously yanking on the leash. Kira quickly submitted to his Captain, instantly falling silent as the chain tightened around his neck, cutting off his oxygen supply for a fraction of a second.

Cagalli quickly turned and walked out of the room without saying anything. She had not truly believed what she had just seen.

Once Murrue was certain that Cagalli had left, she got out of the bed, walked over to the door and locked it, then she walked over to the bed, glaring at Kira as she stood over him.

"I can't believe that you would even think of hurting your sister, Kira." Murrue said, anger obvious in her voice.

"You know that I wouldn't really hurt her, Murrue." Kira reassured her. Murrue nodded as she turned, disappearing into the closet. A moment later, Murrue reappeared, now carrying a paddle in her right hand. Kira noticed that the paddle appeared to made out of oak, was about a foot in length and even though one side was smooth, the other was lined with large metal studs.

"I intend to make sure of that." Murrue said as she walked back over to Kira.

Thirty minutes later, Cagalli was sitting in the mess hall, talking with Athrun.

"Well, if Kira is in fact having an intimate relationship with Captain Ramius, who are we to stop him?" Athrun asked. Instead of answering, Cagalli looked away, she wasn't about to tell Athrun; but she had a slight crush on Kira.

Athrun smiled as he watched Cagalli and after a few seconds of silence he asked. "You have a crush on him, don't you, Cagalli?"

Cagalli stared at the pilot of the Aegis and hesitantly nodded. Athrun merely smiled. A few more minutes of silence passed until Kira walked into the mess hall. He quickly grabbed a sandwich and a soda, then he walked over to the pair and sat across from them at the table.

Before he began to eat, Kira looked at the blonde and said. "Cagalli, you might not believe what I am about to tell you, but I am your brother. I also know that you have a crush on me, but that relationship wouldn't work out."

As if to prove the point, Kira held up his right hand, showing off his wedding ring. Athrun and Cagalli both stared at the ring in shock as Kira took a bite of his sandwich.

"W-when did you get married, Kira?" Athrun asked in shock, while Cagalli had been stunned into silence.

Kira swallowed the food in his mouth, then he hesitated for a long moment, but finally he answered. "Well, this might be hard to explain, but from the perspective of everyone on this ship, I'm not supposed to be married for two more years." Kira paused for a few seconds, then he finished. "I am the husband of Murrue Ramius, the Captain of this ship; the Archangel."

Cagalli shook her head in order to clear it, then she asked, her voice slowly rising. "So what you are telling us is that you're my brother, you're married to Captain Ramius, and you are from the future?!"

Kira nodded slightly as he replied. "That's right, and in addition I am a member of Celestial Being, an armed organization which is dedicated to eliminating conflict, I have also brought my own Gundam with me. It's in the hanger right now."

Suddenly, Cagalli reached over the table, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt as she yelled. "Are you telling me that you destroyed the Strike?!"

Kira smiled slightly as he shook his head and replied. "No, Cagalli, I did not destroy the Strike." Kira paused again, waiting until Cagalli let go of him before continuing. "But to be completely honest, the Strike wouldn't last more than a few seconds in a fight with my Gundam."

At that moment, Mu La Flaga walked into the mess hall, he immediately noticed the three and after grabbing a sandwich and a bottle of water, he sat at their table. "Hey you three."

The three turned to him, and without any hesitation, Kira said. "Mu, I'm giving the Strike to you, I've already loaded it with an OS which will allow you to use it."

Mu stared at Kira, raising an eyebrow as he asked. "But what will you pilot, Kira?"

Kira smiled and as he stood up, he replied. "Don't worry about me." With that, he walked out of the mess hall.

As Kira left, Cagalli began to think back to when he had first told her that he knew who she really was.

**-FLASHBACK-**

"I just I never expected that you'd be the pilot of that mobile suit. Just how did that happen?"

"It's long story." Kira told her, memories rushing back. After a moment of silence, Kira suddenly said. "I know who you are, Cagalli Yula Attha, Princess of Orb."

Cagalli could only stare at him, her eyes wide with shock. Once she had recovered, she glared at Kira, her anger quickly resurfacing as she asked. "How the hell do you know that?"

Kira simply smiled as he replied. "Because, I am from the future. About five years in the future to be exact."

**-END FLASHBACK-**

Cagalli sighed and as her flashback concluded, she watched Kira walk out of the mess hall. If it was true that he really was her sister, and that he was already married to Captain Ramius, she would have to find love elsewhere.

_'Well,'_ Cagalli to herself. _'Athrun is pretty nice, maybe I should give him a chance."_

* * *

Thus, Chapter 8 is complete.

Athrun and Cagali both know about Kira and Murrue's relationship now, but there won't be too much time to dwell on that, because both ZAFT and the Earth Alliance have been busy cranking out new machines. And even though the crew hasn't detected it yet, something is currently descending towards the Archangel.

I have a few questions this time;

1a) Do you guys think, that Natarle or Flay will find out about the relationship between Kira and Murrue?

1b) If they do find out, how do you guys think it should happen?

2a) Do you think that in a fit of rage or as retalation for Kira breaking her nose, Flay should try to steal one of the Gundams?

2b) If so, which one should she try to steal?

* * *

**AS ALWAYS, PLEASE REVIEW AND FEEL FREE TO OFFER ANY IDEAS!**


	8. Arrival at Alaska

**The power to change the past - Chapter 8**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny, or Gundam 00, so please point that damned lawsuit cannon at someone else!

* * *

As soon as the Orb ships had broken formation, the Archangel engaged its Mirage Colloid and lifted off the water, flying at wave-top level.

While in Orb, Andrew Waltfeld had been released, he had assured the crew that even though he would be going back to ZAFT, he would actually be working as an undercover agent for Celestial Being. The only reason that he even knew of the originazation was because Kira had told him.

In the Archangel's hanger, Kira sat in the cockpit of the 000 Gundam, it was unlikely that ZAFT would be able to attack them while they were using the shroud of the Mirage Colloid, but he didn't want to take any chances. Murdoch had teased him, thinking it was just paranoia, however, Kira knew that the ZAFT pilots would at least try to attack once the ship was outside of Orb's territory.

About five minutes later, the radar suddenly beeped and Miriallia announced. "Ma'am, we've got a large, high-speed object descending towards us from beyond the atmosphere."

Murrue glanced at Miriallia over her shoulder, but at that moment, Miriallia's voice filled with confusion as she said. "This is impossible. The object that's descending; it's the Archangel, it's us!"

Murrue's eyes widened, that could only mean one thing; the Archangel II had been discovered, and Meyrin and Shinn had decided to have the ship descend to Earth earlier then originally planned.

Murrue quickly picked up the phone on the side of her chair. "Kira Yamato, report to the bridge immediately!"

Twenty seconds later, Kira sprinted onto the bridge stopping beside Murrue and staring at the Archangel II as it gracefully landed next to their own ship, which had now dropped the cloak of its Mirage Colloid.

Miriallia once again turned to Murrue and said. "Captain, that ship is requesting to communicate with us." Murrue nodded as she said. "Go ahead, put it through."

Murrue and Kira both smiled when the face of Meyrin Hawke appeared on the screen.

Meyrin smiled slightly as she said. "Hello, Archangel Captain Murrue Ramius, Gundam Meister, Kira Yamato. This is Meyrin Hawke, Captain of the Celestial Being battleship Archangel II."

Kira and Murrue were about to reply, when Miriallia suddenly yelled. "Captain, the Blitz, Buster and Duel just launched out of the water, they are directly behind us!"

Meyrin glanced away from the screen for a few seconds, when she turned back to the screen she smiled and said. "Don't worry; I had Destiny on standby just in case something like this happened."

Everyone on the bridge of the Archangel watched as the port side hanger door opened on the other ship. As soon as the door had completely opened a blue, white and red machine shot out of the ship.

The Destiny quickly turned, igniting its Wing of Light and moving to intercept the Blitz, Buster and Duel.

Within the cockpit of the Duel, Yzak Joule ground his teeth, to him it almost seemed like the Strike was trying to avoid fighting him. However, he had little time to think about it, as the Destiny streaked towards him, glowing afterimages trailing behind it.

Shinn smirked as he reached out with the Destiny's right hand and fired the palm-mounted beam cannon, the blast destroying the Duel Gundam's head. Shinn then grabbed the disabled Gundam.

"What the hell?!? My machine is losing power!" Yzak yelled in horror as the Destiny latched onto his machine. After three short seconds, the Duel's Phase Shift armor reverted to the dull grey of its powered down state.

As soon as the Duel's Phase Shift armor had powered down, the Strike Freedom Gundam launched from the Archangel II. The Strike Freedom Gundam flew towards the Destiny, grabbing the powered down Duel and dragging it back to the original Archangel. The Destiny then turned to face the Blitz and Buster as Shinn opened a communications line to both machines.

"Attention, Dearka Elsman and Nicol Amalfi. This is Shinn Asuka, calling from the cockpit of the ZGMF-X42S Destiny Gundam. You are hereby ordered to land your machines on the Earth Alliance battleship Archangel." Shinn said, while at the same time transmitting the orders, which he and Meyrin had forged while on the Archangel II.

Even though the orders were fake, they used real ZAFT layouts, encryption and authentication codes. "Failure to comply with these orders will result in both of you being charged with treason against ZAFT, you have twenty seconds to comply." Shinn said, finishing the ultimatum.

The Blitz and Buster had just landed on the Archangel when the alarms once again began to sound throughout the ship.

On the bridge, Miriallia stared at the radar in shock. "C-captain, we have more than thirty machines coming towards us, but three of them are unknown!"

From the bridge of the Archangel II, Meyrin spoke up, her voice grim. "It's no wonder that your computer can't identify those three machines, they aren't supposed to be produced for at least another two months."

On the horizon, thirty small dots appeared, but they quickly approached, taking the shape of ZAFT mobile suits, three of which struck fear into the hearts of everyone on both ships.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!?" Kira yelled. "The Freedom Gundam, the Justice Gundam and the Providence Gundam?"

Shinn smirked within the cockpit of the Destiny. "Those shitty ZAFT machines can't hope to touch us."

A moment later, the 000 Gundam streaked out of the Archangel,the Destiny floated over to hover beside the 000 Gundam, and Shinn opened a comm. line to the pilot of the angelic-looking machine that was the 000 Gundam. "Kira, how about we show these fools just what they are up against?"

"I agree, we should teach these fools just who they are trying to fuck with." Kira growled, as a furious desire to protect his friends and family quickly built inside of him until the vision of a purple seed exploded inside his head. In an instant, Kira's eyes had faded into the washed out glaze of a SEED possessed individual. Just like during his last battle in the desert, his eyes were glowing with a bright golden light, while purple and black swirled in his pupils almost as though a tornado was confined within each of his eyes.

Just like Kira, Shinn also had people that he wanted to protect. The desire to protect his friends and family, built inside of him until the vision of a red seed exploded inside his head. In an instant, Shinn's eyes had also faded into the washed out glaze of a SEED possessed individual, but it was different this time. Now his eyes were glowing with a bright golden light, while red and black swirled in his pupils almost as though a tornado was confined within each of his eyes.

Using their innovator abilities, the two pilots had linked their minds together. Now they were able to move as one.

Everything around both Kira and Shinn instantly slowed down to a crawl, but the two of them were still able to move at his normal speed. Out of the corner of his left eye, Kira noticed that the Providence was moving towards him. Before the grey machine could even raise its beam rifle, Kira had already fired nearly a dozen beam blasts from his beam rifles. The blasts effortlessly tore through the Providence Gundam's head, DRAGOON units and beam rifle, leaving the machine without any effective weapons in the span of only two seconds. With the Providence completely disabled, Kira ignited his Wings of Light, quickly following Shinn, whom had already taken off to fight the Freedom.

As Kira took out the Providence, Shinn charged towards the Freedom, but he had barely covered half of the distance between himself and the enemy when he noticed that the 000 Gundam had caught up to him.

_'Shinn, you take out the Freedom, I'll handle the Justice.'_ Kira thought.

_'It would be my pleasure, Kira.'_ Shinn replied, as a bright yellow glow illuminated the cockpits of the two machines.

"TRANS-AM!" The two pilots chorused as both of their Gundams ignited their Wings of Light while beginning to glow with a red light. In an instant, the two machines seemed to vanish, moving so fast that they didn't even leave trails of afterimages in their wake.

The pilots of the Freedom and Justice stared in shock when the two enemy machines suddenly vanished.

"W-where did they go?" The pilot of the Justice asked.

"How the hell should I know? I've never even seen machines like those!" The pilot of the Freedom snapped, just before the face of the Destiny Gundam filled his main monitor. "Holy shit!"

Shinn grinned as the Destiny Gundam seemed to appear out of nowhere, stopping directly in front of the Freedom before then freeing and igniting a beam saber from its left shoulder and severing enemy Gundam's head, before then severing both of its arms and kicking it into the ocean below.

As the Destiny Gundam hovered in the sky, twin trails of GN particles began to flow from the trailing edges of its wings.

On the bridge of the Archangel, Murrue stared at the Destiny Gundam and whispered. "Shinn has the triple-drive system too, just like Kira..."

On the bridge of the Archangel II, Meyrin was just as shocked as Murrue had been.

As the two Captains stared in awe at the Destiny Gundam, they both began to wonder, not only when Shinn had installed the other two GN Drives, but also where he had room on the machine, since the GN Drives took up a decent amount of space in the machine on which they were installed.

Meanwhile, the pilot of the Justice, having seen the Destiny suddenly appear in front of the Freedom, quickly boosted backwards, just as the 000 Gundam appeared before him. Kira scowled as he fired a Full Burst at the fleeing Justice. The rail gun shells, being projectile weapons, merely shook the crimson machine, but the beam blasts from the plasma cannons drilled through the Justice's arms, severing them from the main body of the machine. Kira then sniped the two beam cannons located on the Justice's subflight lifter, effectively disabling the machine.

"Too easy." Kira and Shinn voiced simultaneously, as they quickly sniped the remaining mobile suits, destroying their weapons and head-mounted cameras in a flurry of rapid-fire beam blasts.

The battle was over in less than a minute. As the 000 Gundam and the Destiny Gundam streaked back towards the Archangel, the ZAFT machines returned to their own ship; the Nazca-class ship Rio Grande, which had been modified so that it could fly within the Earth's atmosphere.

The next morning, the ZAFT Nazca-class ship slowly and cautiously approached the pair of Archangel-class ships.

"Open a channel to those two ships." Captain Talia Gladys ordered from the bridge of the Nazca-class ship Rio Grande. She waited until the channel was opened. "This is Talia Gladys, Captain of the ZAFT battleship Rio Grande, surrender now or you will be destroyed!"

On the bridge of the Archangel, it took Murrue all of her willpower not to burst out laughing at the demand, especially when considering how easily the 000 and the Destiny had, as Shinn put it 'brutally raped' the enemy machines. Kira, however, couldn't help himself, as he almost instantly burst out laughing.

"Captain Gladys, did you not see the battle yesterday?" Murrue asked as Kira stood at her side, trying to regain his composure. "To be completely honest, if anyone should be surrendering, it's you." With that, Murrue tapped a button on the armrest of her chair, forcing the communication line closed. Once the communications line was closed, Murrue glared at Kira as he once again composed himself.

"Honestly, Kira. I know that you were helping Shinn to hand out the ass-stompage yesterday, but how is anyone supposed to take us seriously when you, suddenly burst out laughing over an open communications line?" She asked.

Later that night, Kira and Murrue were in their quarters, they were lying in bed, but neither of them could sleep. Therefore, once again they were discussing what they could possibly do to shorten the war and prevent the loss of lives.

"Well," Kira said thoughtfully. "Why don't we proceed to Alaska as we are supposed to, then once there we simply hit the base with our EMP Cannon?"

"What about the ZAFT attack on the base?" Murrue asked, turning to face Kira as he lay beside her.

Kira smiled at her, gently wrapping his arms around her waist as he replied. "It's simple; we hit the ZAFT forces with the EMP Cannon when they begin their attack."

A few days later, the Archangel cruised towards land, now surrounded by several Eurasian battleships. Finally, the ship had reached JOSH-A. The Archangel II was following directly behind the original Archangel. The Archangel II, however, was invisible, because it was utilizing its Mirage Colloid.

Elsewhere in the base, a group of high-ranking officials watched, some very displeased with seeing the ship. "So they made it after all in spite of everything that got in their way." Captain William Sutherland muttered.

"It was this young Coordinator, Kira Yamato, who protected it." One of the officers said with a hint of detest in his tone.

"We can take the as yet unexplained loss of the Strike as fortunate for us." A second officer weighed his opinion, "If word got out to the general masses that a Coordinator piloted a machine of our making, it'd only show our limitations that much more."

"However, you must admit that it did accomplish something of great value, capturing Andrew Waltfeld. Without his leadership, it'll be much easier for us to retake Victoria once the time comes."

Sutherland raised his hand, silencing his peers. "Regardless of that young Coordinator, the GAT series is something that we must be using front and center." He continued, "The GAT-01 production lines at Panama are running at full capacity and the GAT-01BD project at Heaven's Base is near completion. And of course, the new special models are close to being ready for deployment."

On each of the tiny screens in front of them were the specs of the newest models of the GAT series, the GAT-X131 Calamity, the GAT-X252 Forbidden, and the GAT-X370 Raider.

"With these new technologies, we will be the ones who'll benefit the most."

The next day, the Archangel crew sat in a briefing room inside the base. Murrue had finished her testimony regarding what had occurred at Heliopolis the day of the ZAFT surprise attack and how she and Kira had boarded the Strike. She then went on about how he had been able to modify and in fact rewrite the Strike's OS almost instantly with little effort.

"So at the time you had a speculation that Kira Yamato was in fact a Coordinator?" Sutherland then asked.

"Yes, sir." Murrue answered.

"Tell me, what was your impression when you witnessed his abilities?"

"I thought that it was miraculous."

At that answer, Sutherland gave a disturbing smile. Neither Kira or Mu liked the looks of it.

Simon Parallax then leaned forward as well. "It says here," he said, reading a file, "that following the destruction of the GINN, you lost consciousness due to your injuries and for a time the Coordinator and the other civilian students saw to your safety, yet later detained them."

"Yes."

"That was the proper course of action under such circumstances." Sutherland said, "We know that there was a need to regroup and assess the situation happening around you. However, before you could make contact with allied forces, a ZAFT mobile suit engaged by Mu La Flaga had slipped away and into the colony interior, that much can be summed as bad luck. But at the time, the Strike was put in the hands of ignorant civilian child who happened to be a Coordinator." He narrowed his eyes. "You had failed to maintain control of the situation, isn't that right?"

Kira quickly stood up in Murrue's defense, his patience had run out. "Despite what your tiny, insignificant minds choose to believe, the simple fact is that Captain Ramius did not fail to maintain control of the situation, you fucking assholes." Kira grinned as he then pulled the service pistol from his pocket, aiming it at the three men who were running this mockery of a trial. "You fuckers only have two choices in this situation; you either let us go and we'll let you live, or you can try to capture us, which will result in this shitty base being completely wiped from existence."

Without any hesitation, one of the men hit a button on the underside of the desk, calling for security.

"Idiots," Kira said. "You just condemned yourselves to death." With those words, Kira pulled the trigger three times in less then two seconds.

Everyone stared at Kira as the now lifeless bodies of the three men slumped in their chairs, a single bullet hole now in the middle of each ones forehead.

A few minutes later, Kira grinned within the cockpit of the 000 Gundam, as he piloted his machine, which was under the cloak of its Mirage Colloid, over the base, with the Archangel and the Archangel II following close behind him.

Murrue smiled at Kira through the open video communications channel as she said. "Do it, Kira. Let's make these genocidal maniacs shit their pants."

Kira nodded, grinning as he yelled. "TRANS-AM BURST!!!"

Instantly the 000 Gundam began to glow with the distinctive red light of Trans-Am, but unlike before, its GN Drives were now producing massive amounts of high-density, purified GN particles that trailed behind the machine in a rainbow-like hue. After only thirty seconds, the entire base had been completely saturated with the high-density purified GN particles.

Suddenly, the voice of Murrue Ramius boomed throughout the entire base. "Attention; Earth Alliance base, JOSH-A. This is Murrue Ramius, Captain of the Celestial Being battleship Archangel. Surrender immediately!"

Nearly thirty seconds had passed before there was any kind of response. But finally a storm of firepower in the form of missiles, bullets and occasional beam blasts streaked up at the Archangel. A few seconds later, a massive Earth Alliance fleet rose from the base, as hundreds of Earth Alliance fighter and attacker aircraft charged at both the Archangel and the Archangel II.

As the aircraft approached the two ships, Kira's eyes widened in surprise as he read what his sensors were displaying. "F-7D Spearheads, F/A-22A Raptors, F-35B Lightning IIs, A/F-117X Nighthawks, A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, F/A-18F Super Hornets."

Kira's eyes widened even more and he forced himself not to burst out laughing as his sensor systems then began to identify aircraft, which hadn't been used since the Second World War. "Messerschmitt Me-262 Swallows, Messerschmitt Bf-110G/R3 Destroyers, and Focke-Wulf Fw-190D-9 Shrikes."

Knowing that these aircraft were no threat to him, Kira dropped the cloak of his Mirage Colloid and almost immediately a group of ten aircraft, consisting of two F/A-22A Raptors, two F-35B Lightning IIs, two Messerschmitt Me-262 Swallows, two Messerschmitt Bf-110G/R3 Destroyers, a single F/A-18F Super Hornet and a single A-10 Thunderbolt II, turned towards him. Unknown to Kira, or anyone onboard either the Archangel, or Archangel II, all of these aircraft had been modified with modren engines, Phase Shift armor, their standard machine guns had been replaced with beam machine guns, and the leading edges of their wings concealed beam blades.

Meanwhile, completely unaware of the battle, in Earth's orbit, numerous ZAFT Nazca-class and Laurasia-class ships waited above the planet's surface. Mobile suits were being loaded into descent pods as the ships moved into positions. The operation timetable was on schedule, but all crews were reminded to finish preparations as quickly as possible. The landing teams would soon be ready.

Simultaneously, ZAFT forces from Carpentaria commenced moving out. Air transports took off with their DINN escorts. As they took to the sky, base personnel and officers saluted and shouted cheers offering good luck and hopes of victory. Not wasting time, a fleet of Vosgulov-class submarines was launched as well. The attack force was now on its way, ready to commence Operation Spit Break once the order was issued.

At the same time, a single ship departed from a hidden hanger on the far side of the moon; the newly completed Prometheus-class vessel of Celestial Being. The Prometheus-class was based off of a future ZAFT design, it was a sleek and very fast looking ship; the front end of the vessel resembeled an arrowhead, which tapered into a rounded point at the rear, attached to either side of the aft hull were what appeared to be four wings with what an uninformed individual would assume to be a fuel tank at the tip of each wing.

As the ship slowly left the hanger, its Phase Shift armor activated, the hull changing color from a dull grey, to a metallic grey. As soon as the ship had cleared the hanger, two pair of what appeared to be nothing more then white lights flashed from the tips of the wings, and an instant later the ship sped away, vanishing into the distance with a flash of white light.

* * *

So, chapter 8 is now complete.

Celestial Being has been forced to reveal itself and has come under attack by the Earth Alliance, in addition the ZAFT forces are about to commence Operation Spit Break. Needless to say, all hell is about to break loose at the Earth Alliance's Alaskan Base.

* * *

**AS ALWAYS, PLEASE REVIEW AND FEEL FREE TO OFFER ANY IDEAS!**


	9. The fall of JOSHA

**The power to change the past - Chapter 9**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny, or Gundam 00, so please point that damned lawsuit cannon at someone else!

**Warning:** This chapter contains a lemon, and is not suited for anyone under the age of 18.

* * *

A hurricane of bullets ripped across the battlefield, as the 000 Gundam opened fire on the oncoming aircraft with its head-mounted CIWS guns, but to Kira's surprise, the bullets simply bounced off their armor.

_'These aircraft all have Phase Shift armor.'_ Kira thought as he dodged the small fighter craft, kicking one of the trailing fighters, a Messerschmitt Bf-110G/R3 Destroyer, out of the sky, sending it tumbling into the water below. Suddenly one of the two Messerschmitt Me-262 Swallows seemingly appeared directly in front of him.

Kira glared at the enemy aircraft, quickly realizing that it had performed an Immelmann turn, an ascending half-loop followed by a half-roll, resulting in level flight in the exact opposite direction at a higher altitude. Kira was just about to charge the aircraft and punch it out of the sky, but to his shock, it began to fire beam blasts at him.

_'These things have beam machine guns too!'_ Kira thought, as he dodged the energy blasts.

"Fine then, I'm not going to hold back if this how you people want to fight!" Kira yelled as he grabbed the Me-262 out of the sky, whirling around and smashing it into the second Me-262, which had tried to sneak up on him from behind. The Phase Shift armor, which the aircraft had been equipped with, was not able to take the impact of two aircraft slamming into each other and failed instantly, causing both of the fighters to lose their green camouflage paint scheme, reverting to a dull grey, before exploding into a massive fireball only a fraction of a second later.

Kira screamed in anger as he unleashed his DRAGOONs, the weapons elegantly dancing through the sky for a few seconds before then cutting down the enemy aircraft. The weapons didn't shoot the aircraft down; instead, they simply sliced through them. The battle was over after only two minutes. Kira sighed slightly, and as the DRAGOONs once again docked to the back of his machine, he opened a communications line to the Archangel II.

"Meyrin, fire the EMP Cannon, your target is JOSH-A." Kira ordered his voice nearly devoid of emotion.

Meyrin nodded, and three seconds later, the EMP Cannon had deployed from the underside of the Archangel II. The weapon charged for only few seconds before firing, the massive Electromagnetic pulse causing JOSH-A to instantly lose all power.

As the Archangel II's EMP Cannon fired, Kira noticed the approaching ZAFT transport aircraft, he quickly freed his own EMP Cannon and fired it at the approaching ZAFT transport aircraft. The sudden loss of power causing the transports to plummet towards the ocean. Kira then aimed his EMP Cannon straight up, at the ZAFT drop ships and fired another blast, leaving the ZAFT ships dead in space.

A few hours later, Kira sat in the cockpit of the 000 Gundam, which was once again in the Archangel's hanger. He was making a few adjustments to his machine, but as he began to adjust the power settings, he noticed something called "Tranquility". Kira raised an eyebrow wondering what it could be, the answer shocked him.

"The "Tranquility" is a Directed Neutron Disabler, based off of N-Jammer technology. The DND's in the palm of each of the 000 Gundam's hands project a field of energy in a cone fifty meters long and thirty meters wide at the end, while within that field and for about thirty minutes afterwards, all nuclear fission ceases to function. Nuclear reactors won't generate power, nuclear weapons won't explode, neutron based radiation won't radiate. The energy field is intense enough to burn out N-Jammer Cancellers within a few seconds." Kira read aloud, his eyes wide with awe.

Kira grinned as he cut the head off another Strike Dagger, he wasn't about to tell anyone, but he was actually beginning to enjoy fighting. Kira ignored the blaring warning as a Strike Dagger came up behind him. The Strike Dagger had intended to slice Kira's machine in half, however, the beam shields on the 000 Gundam's wings flared to life, blocking the slash.

"NONE OF YOU CAN HOPE TO BEAT ME! COMPARED TO YOU I AM A GOD!!" Kira screamed over the open-channel communications line as he severed the Strike Dagger's arms, legs and head in less than a second, leaving the machine to fall to the ground in six useless pieces.

Even before the Strike Dagger had fallen apart, the 000 Gundam had sped off, now streaking towards the approaching forms of the Calamity, Forbidden, and Raider Gundams.

The Calamity Gundam fired its chest-mounted "Scylla" 580mm multi-phase energy cannon, but Kira responded by activating his "Geschmeidig Panzer" energy deflection armor, sending the blast towards the Forbidden Gundam. The Forbidden switched into its close combat mode, deflecting the beam back towards the 000 Gundam. Kira simply shrugged as he ignited a beam saber and cut the beam blast in half. The 000 Gundam then ignited its thrusters and charged forward.

As it charged towards the three enemy machines, the 000 Gundam's external speaker system activated and an unearthly, ear-shattering scream emanated from them. Instantly, the soldiers of both Orb and the Earth Alliance stopped moving, frozen with fear as the scream was heard throughout the entire island nation.

Within the cockpit of the 000 Gundam, an almost sadistic grin crossed Kira's face as he unleashed his DRAGOONs, quickly swarming them around the Calamity, Forbidden and Raider. The DRAGOONs fired relentlessly, quickly forcing the three machines back behind their shields, then without any warning, the Strike Freedom Gundam suddenly appeared.

"Murrue, take out the Forbidden! I'll deal with the Calamity and the Raider." Kira yelled and in the blink of an eye, the Strike Freedom had latched onto the Forbidden. After three short seconds, the Forbidden's Phase Shift armor reverted to the dull grey of its powered down state then the Strike Freedom let go of the Forbidden, letting it plummet to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, Kira noticed that the Calamity and the Raider were both trying to retreat. "You're not getting away, you assholes!" Kira yelled as he brought up the EMP Cannon and fired it, completely disabling the two machines.

As the three machines sat powerless on the coast, Kira hovered triumphantly above them, while the remaining Strike Daggers began to retreat. Suddenly the chest and crotch of the 000 Gundam folded up, revealing the previously hidden 'Scylla' 580mm high energy beam cannon, as the Gundam's arms and legs snapped to the corners of the high energy beam cannon, forming four claw tipped arms which immediately opened up, clearing the firing arc of the 'Scylla' 580mm high energy beam cannon.

"Kira, let them go!" Murrue scolded him over the private communications line, which had been setup in both of their machines. Kira let an annoyed sigh escape his lips as he transformed his machine back into its mobile suit mode and landed onboard the Archangel.

As soon as Kira let go of the zip line, Murrue ran over to him, slapping him across the cheek as she yelled. "What the hell is wrong with you, Kira? When I first started to train with you as a pilot, one of the first things that you told me was not to kill retreating enemies! So why were you preparing to fire on the retreating Earth Alliance forces?"

Kira didn't answer her verbally, instead he returned her slap with one of his own, shocking everyone in the hanger. Murrue stared at Kira for a few seconds, before then grabbing him by the collar of his uniform, dragging him into the pilots' locker room and slamming him into the wall.

"If I didn't love you so much, I would have knocked you on your ass out there." Murrue growled, her face only inches from Kira's own.

The amethyst eyed Innovator simply grinned as he teasingly whispered. "Well why didn't you knock me on my ass, Murrue? You had every right to do so." Kira paused for a few seconds then he said. "This is your ship after all, so why not simply get that leash, attach it to the collar you put on my neck and keep me by your side at all times?"

Murrue grinned at Kira as she thought about his suggestion for a moment. Finally after a few short seconds, she took him by the arm and led him out of the locker room. When they reached their quarters, Murrue quickly locked the door, then she dragged Kira towards the bed.

Once they were both standing next to the bed, Murrue whirled around to face Kira and kissed him on the lips. Kira smiled and quickly returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around Murrue's waist as he began to kiss her.

Murrue quickly broke the kiss and stepped away from Kira, knowing that he wouldn't make any moves to follow her. She now seemed to dominate the room, she had an air of authority which Kira hadn't really noticed before, and finally after taking a few seconds to look over Kira's body, she smiled and said. "I'm strict, but I'm also fair, you should know that by now, Kira."

Kira blushed slightly as he nodded and Murrue smiled in approval. She walked over to Kira and looked at him as she said. "Follow me, Kira."

Kira nodded obediently and Murrue smiled as she took his lead into her right hand and led him into a small room which had been hidden inside of the bathroom. Kira noticed that inside this small room was some sort of padded structure.

As they approached the padded structure, Kira realized what its purpose was; he would soon be bound to it in a bent over position for his punishment. Kira knew that if he resisted, the severity of his punishment was likely to be worse, so he cautiously leaned across the padded box so that his chest touched the padded surface.

The structure was built so that when the recipient was bound in place, so that their head would be lower than their hips, accentuating the bent over position and rendering the punishment more effective. Murrue quickly secured a binding strap around Kira's waist, and then she attached similar bindings above his knees; finally she bound his wrists to the front legs of the structure.

Once Murrue was certain that Kira was secured and wouldn't be able to free himself, she walked behind him, picking up a paddle from a nearby counter as she walked past. Murrue now stood behind Kira and to his left, with the paddle in her right hand. Murrue then spread her legs slightly as she carefully gauged her distance from Kira; now she was ready to administer Kira's true punishment.

Murrue pressed her full lips together and with her eyes focused on the captive lover's buttocks, drew the paddle back and slammed it on the target area.

Murrue counted aloud. "One!"

Less than three seconds later, she propelled the paddle for the second stroke.

Wham! "Two!"

Kira gritted his teeth. This was definitely more intense than he had anticipated.

Wham! "Three!"

The heat rapidly built up in Kira's buttocks. Each paddle stroke imparted an intense blazing sensation that accumulated.

Wham! "Four!"

Wham! "Five!"

Wham! "Six!"

Wham! "Seven!"

Wham! "Eight!"

Kira twisted and writhed as much as his bindings allowed, as he whimpered through his gag.

Wham! "Nine!"

Wham! "TEN!"

Murrue laid the paddle atop Kira's waist and slowly walked around the room once, then she picked up the paddle and resumed the punishment, sensuously swiveling her hips as she delivered each swat with astounding energy.

Recently, one of Murrue's greatest pleasures while administering discipline was to hear the sounds that her lover made while being punished, she wasn't completely sure why, but the exclamations which Kira made during punishment greatly aroused her.

Again and again she delivered powerful smacks. Kira's muffled outcries showed that he was truly surprised at the hot kiss of the paddle. When his spanking began, he punctuated the swats with a muffled but still loud "OH!"

As Murrue progressed, she evoked louder muffled shouts from her lover. By the twentieth swat, his muffled outcries were more strident. By the thirtieth swat he was pleading her to stop. Murrue simply continued, and when she had delivered fifty swats with the paddle, he was begging her to stop.

Murrue finally stopped, set the paddle down and freed Kira from his restraints; she then looked at him and smiled as she effortlessly picked him up, carrying him back out to the bedroom.

Murrue smiled as she gently laid Kira on the bed, before then lying beside him and wrapping her arms around his waist. Once the pain from his spanking had subsided enough, Kira wrapped his own arms around Murrue's waist, he knew that she had every right to punish him for what he did.

After all, Murrue was normally the dominant one in their relationship, while Kira was normally the submissive one.

Early the next morning, Murrue calmly walked onto the bridge, but as soon as she did everyone began to stare at her. They weren't staring at her, so much that they were staring at Kira, who was now trailing only a few feet behind the Captain. Everyone quickly noticed that the young Innovator couldn't run since he was secured by a four foot long silver leash, which Murrue had tied around her right wrist.

Kira remained perfectly silent as he obediently stood beside Murrue. Despite the awkward situation on the bridge, the crew continued to monitor the Earth Alliance fleet. Even though their new Gundams had been captured, they still wouldn't leave.

After a few minutes, Athrun walked onto the bridge, but as soon as he saw that Kira was effectively restrained he burst out laughing. "Wow, Kira. What did you do that would be bad enough to have your wife put a leash on you and begin to drag you around the ship?"

Kira simply glared at Athrun. Now in addition to his embracement of his current situation along with the still searing pain in his behind, due to the punishment which he had received at Murrue's hands the night before, everyone on the bridge knew that he was married to her.

At the mention of Murrue being Kira's wife, everyone else on the bridge turned to stare at both him and Murrue in shock. The bridge crew didn't have any time to take that information in or to ask questions, however, because an instant later, much to Kira's relief, the radar detected that the Earth Alliance forces were launching another attack.

Kira's relief quickly vanished as multiple proximity alarms began to blare, and his eyes widened in horror as he saw at least twenty missiles streaking towards the ship.

* * *

And so, Chapter 9 is complete.

The Calamity, Forbidden and Raider have all been captured, but even then the Earth Alliance won't stop until they have Orb's mass driver.

The bridge crew of the Archangel now knows about Kira and Murrue's relationship, which will probably mean that they will both have to answer some questions after this next battle.

A few questions for the readers;

1) Should Kira and Murrue spill everything, including the fact that they are actually from the future?

2) Should they be more public about their relationship now that the entire bridge crew knows?

* * *

**AS ALWAYS, PLEASE REVIEW AND FEEL FREE TO OFFER ANY IDEAS!**


	10. Kira's Discovery

**The power to change the past - Chapter 10**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny, or Gundam 00, so please point that damned lawsuit cannon at someone else!

**Warning:** This chapter contains an extreme lemon, and is not suited for anyone under the age of 18.

* * *

The war room was out of control as officers in the ubiquitous Atlantic Federation uniform scurried around tables and control panels, shouting orders and questions and just plain unintelligible nonsense at each other. From his position at the top of the room, watching a sprawling holographic map, Muruta Azrael, the leader of the most radical of all anti-Coordinator activist groups Blue Cosmos, crossed his arms.

"Mr. Azrael," one of the officers said, greeting him with a grim salute. Azrael returned it, just as grimly. "The Fifth Combined Surface Fleet reports that it has begun combat. The Battle for Orb isn't over yet."

Azrael eyed the map soberly. "I understand, colonel," he said. "And this time we _will_ be victorious."

At that moment, armored in their redesigned METEOR units, the 000 Gundam and the Strike Freedom Gundam came charging forward. Kira's eyes flashed venomously as he sped towards the Earth Alliance fleet.

The two METEOR units had been heavily modified since the end of the Third War. Now they were completely capable of atmospheric flight, due to the additions of a Twin Drive System, and a large pair of wings.

"STRIKE THEM!!!" Kira yelled as he and Murrue both opened up with all of the weapons on their METEOR units, wiping out the entire Earth Alliance fleet with a single hellish volley of beam blasts and missiles.

As the Earth Alliance fleet sank, the 000 Gundam suddenly turned on the Strike Freedom Gundam, slashing at its head with a single, blindingly fast swipe from the MA-X200 beam sword mounted on his METEOR unit's right side.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Kira?!" Murrue screamed in rage and confusion as she barely dodged the swipe, answering his attack with a pair of beam blasts from her own 93.7cm high-energy beam cannons.

Kira dodged the blasts and quickly lined himself up for a shot from his own 93.7cm high-energy beam cannons, but when he pulled the trigger nothing happened. Instead, the METEOR detached from the back of his machine, then the METEOR and the 000 Gundam itself both moved back towards the Archangel. As the 000 Gundam moved towards the Archangel, Kira noticed the Destiny Gundam carefully landing before then kneeling in the hanger bay.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Murrue yelled a few minutes later, rage clouding her better judgment as she lunged at Kira from the open cockpit of the Strike Freedom Gundam, tackling him to the floor of the hanger, both of them rolling on the floor to avoid serious injury before finally coming to a stop, Murrue now straddling Kira's waist, her hands holding his arms down.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Kira looked into Murrue's eyes, noticing that tears were sliding down her cheeks as she spoke, her voice barely audible as she said. "Kira, I know that I'm strict sometimes, but that is no reason to attack me." She paused for a few seconds, not sure if she would even be able to say what she was thinking.

"K-Kira, if you," Murrue said, choking back a sob, "I-if you don't love me anymore, please just come out and tell me. I'd rather you tell me to my face then find out later that you are cheating on me."

Kira's eyes widened in shock at Murrue's words, and without any hesitation, he lovingly replied. "Murrue, you know that I will always love you and that I would never cheat on you"

Murrue nodded slightly, tears still sliding down her cheeks as she got off of Kira, quickly extending her hand to him. Kira smiled as he took her hand and stood up. He quickly wiped away her tears, and then he gently wrapped an arm around her waist as he seductively whispered. "If you want me to, I can prove how much I love you."

Murrue blushed slightly as she softly kissed Kira on the lips, after breaking the kiss; he felt her warm breath in his ear as she commanded. "Come with me, now."

Without saying anything else, Murrue led Kira straight to their quarters; the young Innovator obediently followed his wife, remaining silent the entire way.

Finally, after what seemed to both of them like an eternity, they reached their quarters. Kira quickly yanked Murrue into the room and without saying a word; he actually picked Murrue up, throwing her onto the bed before then jumping on top of her an instant later.

Before Murrue could react, Kira had already begun to deeply kiss her, shoving his tongue deep into her mouth, searching for her own tongue. When he found it he eagerly began to wrestle it with his own for a few seconds, before then eagerly licking it. Murrue growled playfully as she broke the kiss. Kira let a slight growl escape his lips as he gazed deeply into Murrue's beautiful brown eyes as he gently ran a hand through her hair.

Murrue purred softly, loving the affection which she was currently receiving. Suddenly she let out a soft squeak as she felt Kira's cock gently press through their uniforms and onto her already soaking wet pussy.

While he had Murrue distracted, Kira quickly opened the drawer on her nightstand and a few seconds later he produced four pairs of handcuffs, quickly restraining her to the bed, first by her wrists and then by her ankles.

"Will you behave yourself?" Kira softly asked as he slowly rose from the bed, but Murrue glanced away; avoiding his eyes. Kira sighed softly as he said. "You have permission to speak when I ask you a question, now are you going to behave yourself?"

For a second time, she didn't answer and Kira sighed as he said. "I'll take your silence as a NO." Kira stood there, staring at her, waiting, and when she still didn't answer, he softly growled. "Ok, if you want to be that way."

Kira turned and opened the cabinet on Murrue's nightstand, and after searching for a few seconds he pulled out a stun gun, holding it in his right hand as he pressed the trigger discharging a loud crackling sound. There was no doubt about the effect it would have on a person, whether they were a Natural or a Coordinator.

Kira walked up to Murrue and repeated the question again. "Will you behave yourself?" Murrue let a soft whimper escape her lips and as she looked away, she softly answered. "Yes."

Kira allowed a slight frown to cross his lips as he muttered. "Damnit, I was hoping that you would fight back."

Murrue smiled slightly before then sticking out her tongue and replying. "You see, Kira, unlike you, I kn-"

She quickly silenced herself as Kira raised the stun gun, once again pressing the trigger and discharging another loud crackling from it as he said. "Let me explain what's going to happen, Murrue. As I'm sure you know, this stun gun can be set to a mild shock or to knock you out cold. Right now I have it set to deliver a mild shock. It hurts like hell but it won't knock you out. If you disobey my commands at any time or if I feel that you are not carrying out my wishes and desires to the letter, you will receive one of these." Kira trailed off as he pushed the stun gun against Murrue's right thigh and pulled the trigger.

Murrue screamed in pain as she felt a jolt of electricity shoot through her body, but to her surprise, the shock also aroused her further. As the pain slowly diminished, it was replaced by pleasure and Murrue allowed a barely audible moan to escape her lips as she growled. "Kira Yamato, I promise that I will make you pay for this."

Kira looked at Murrue and after a few seconds of silence, he softly said. "Now then, Murrue, I'm going to ask you a few questions and if you refuse to answer them, I'll shock you again, is that understood?" Murrue nodded slightly as Kira sat down on the bed and after pausing for a few seconds he began to question her.

"Murrue, we've been married for nearly six years now and even after all this time, we still don't know about each other's sexual fantasies or fetishes." Murrue simply nodded, silently telling Kira to continue. "Well, as you might have guessed already, I want to know what your sexual fantasies and fetishes are and not just one or two of them, I want to know about all of them."

Murrue allowed a deep blush cross her face. Sure they were married and she knew that this subject would probably come up eventually, but it was still slightly embarrassing. After a moment Murrue replied. "Kira, I'm not going to tell you, however, I will tell you where you can find the information that you are looking for. Go over to the Archangel II, go into our quarters, log onto my laptop and you'll find a folder on the desktop named 'Shortcuts' open that folder, and you'll find another one, named 'Personal' that folder contains everything that you want to know."

Kira grinned as he stood up, and headed towards the door, but he stopped when Murrue yelled. "Hey, you can't just leave me like this!"

Kira smiled as he replied. "I'm not leaving you like that, I'm going to get that information and come right back so that I can fulfill your fantasies and fetishes. But I'll warn you, if I find out that you were lying, you will wish that you had told the truth." With that Kira walked out of the room.

True to his word, Kira returned about ten minutes later, but he now had a small flash drive in his left hand. Murrue watched Kira as he walked over to the desk, plugged the flash drive into the laptop and smirked at her.

After browsing through the files for a few minutes, Kira saw that his lover was indeed quite kinky, and he grinned as he said. "Well, Murrue, since you are dominant, I have to admit that of your fantasies and fetishes do surprise me."

Kira smiled sweetly as walked over to the bed, and as he stood next to his still restrained lover, he gently ran a hand through her hair as he softly asked. "So, Murrue, is it really true that when you were seventeen, you once went skinny-dipping in a pond near your house, and ended up covered with leeches."

Murrue deeply blushed, but she nodded and quietly replied. "Yes, it's true."

Kira nodded slightly before he continued. "Is it also true that some of the leeches had slithered into your vagina?"

Murrue's blush instantly deepened as she nodded, while letting out a soft moan as she recalled the memory.

Kira smiled slightly as he seductively whispered. "Well, Murrue, would you like to relive that pleasure?"

Murrue nodded as she moaned. "Kira, please stop teasing me."

Kira could see that his lover was becoming very frustrated and he softly said. "Just one more question, baby." Murrue only nodded in response.

"Is it also true that you wished that you had been lactating at the time?" Kira softly asked as he continued to gently stroke her hair.

"Yes, I did," Murrue whimpered. "I wanted to know what it would feel like to have the leeches suck milk from my breasts."

Kira nodded slightly and seductively whispered into her ear. "What if I told you that I would be able to let you relive that fantasy, but I could make it so that the leeches would also be able to suck milk from your breasts?"

"Kira, if you're going to let me relive that fantasy," Murrue replied, her breath now coming out as soft moans. "Please just stop asking me about it and let me relive it."

Kira smiled as he softly kissed Murrue on the lips, and after he broke the kiss a few seconds later, he whispered. "Well, I suppose that if you want it that much I'll let you relive you fantasy." With that Kira turned and walked out of the room, the door sliding shut with a soft hiss.

The door slid open a few minutes later and Murrue instantly noticed that Kira was now carrying a silver medical tray and that he was wearing a pair of thick latex gloves. Murrue also noticed that on the tray were three syringes, a pair of large scissors, and a small fishbowl.

Kira's eyes twinkled as he surveyed Murrue, and without so much as a word, he raised one of the syringes from the silver tray and began flicking it to remove the air bubbles. He surveyed it in the light, and then smiled down on her as he inserted the needle into her right arm and pushed the plunger. Murrue squeaked slightly as needle entered her arm.

As Kira removed the needle, she suddenly began to feel warm as her areolas contracted, pushing her nipples to attention. "What was that?" She asked Kira, looking him up and down as he stood to the side of the bed, still in his uniform.

"It was a fertility drug with a mood enhancing element, developed in Orb. It will make your experience even more pleasure then what you remember and it will also make you lactate." He explained as he walked back over to the tray, picking up the scissors before then walking back over to her.

As Kira walked back towards her, Murrue realized that the scissors he was holding, were crash scissors, the kind paramedics use when cutting clothes off accident victims. Blunt ended they could be used rapidly, with little danger to the subject. Without saying anything, Kira began to cut Murrue's uniform away.

He began at the hem and worked up, cutting a slit up the front, across her navel and between her breasts, before then cutting through the neckline, causing the top half of the uniform to fall away, revealing her white lace bra. Murrue felt herself being exposed to the air and before she had realized it, Kira had already cut away her skirt, leaving her lying on the bed in nothing but her bra and panties.

Kira smiled as he then walked back over to the tray, set the scissors down, and reached into the fishbowl. Murrue gasped audibly when she saw the leech which Kira pulled out of the fishbowl a few short seconds later. It was as thick around as a modest-sized snake, perhaps an inch and a half in diameter, but unlike most leeches which she had seen, its entire body was lined with small suckers. Murrue guessed that the huge leech must have measured about five or six feet in length, if not longer.

It was much too big for a medical leech, which were still used, although it was rare anymore, seeing as how much medical science had advanced.

Murrue watched, with a look of lust, as Kira gently set the leech on the bed, directly between her legs, and as the leech's length slithered around her body in tight, wet coils, it left a thick layer of clear slime on her bare flesh as the suckers which lined its body seemed to massage the skin which they passed over. The slime felt warm and tingled against her skin and it along with the gentle caress of the many suckers, slowly yet steadily heightened her arousal.

After a moment, Murrue looked down at her naked body in the grip of the leech, her legs twitched but she couldn't break the leech's grip. Her stomach bucked with her gasps and whimpers, and her breasts poked out between the leech's coils, jiggling at the leech's gyrations and her own struggles, her nipples standing out, completely erect, through the layer of slime which now covered everything below her neck.

The leech's head wriggled up her chest, and Murrue's whimpers grew louder as the puckered mouth curled down and latched onto her left breast. Murrue instantly felt the suction of the leech's mouth on her nipple, tugging it deeply into its mouth and causing her to let out a loud moan of pleasure. Murrue moaned softly as the leech pushed its tail back into her. It went in slowly, inch by inch. The tail pulsed in a steady rhythm that she felt through her entire body. Murrue bucked her hips, wanting it deeper inside of her.

Her whole left breast had been swallowed up by the leech. She could only see its head bouncing slowly against her chest. Murrue could feel its length stroking her breast up and down, but now the tightness of its mouth was fueling her arousal. Murrue's eyes widened as the tail pushed in and out of her. The pulsations of its body inside her felt incredible, and her nipple burned from the suction on it, but it was a heat of passion.

Murrue's moans grew louder, as she began to gently stroke the leech's body. Her body heaved in tune with the leech's penetrations, guiding it, aiding it. Her back arched as she writhed on the bed. The leech seemed to sense the change in her movements and its coils loosened until it no longer held her in its grip, instead, it now seemed to be embracing her.

The leech's tail squirmed happily inside Murrue's vagina, rubbing up against, and gently sucking on, her most sensitive of areas. After a moment the leech began to massage Murrue's clitoris with its sucker, the suction started as a gentle caress, but it slowly became harder and harder until, finally an orgasm rocked her body, but even after Murrue had experienced her orgasm, the leech continued to massage her clitoris with its sucker.

After a few minutes, the pleasure slowly began to fade, leaving Murrue weak and limp as if lying on the sand of a cool beach. She let out a blissful sigh as she closed her eyes, suddenly aware of her gasping breath.

After simply lying there for a moment, Murrue managed to open her eyes. The leech had already uncoiled itself from her body. In addition to the leech's sudden absence, Kira had seemed to vanish as well, but she knew that he would be back soon.

A few minutes passed before the door to her quarters opened again. Murrue was shocked to see that it was not Kira entering but, Cagalli instead. With the light off, Cagalli didn't see her as she lay restrained on the bed, the only light illuminating the room was that from the corridor outside. Right before the door closed Cagalli flicked on the light, and her eyes widened in shock at seeing Murrue lying handcuffed and naked on the bed. However, Cagalli failed to notice that the other woman was deep asleep.

"Captain," she squeaked out. "What's going on?"

Suddenly the door opened once again, this time Kira entered, seeing his twin sister he smirked as he drew out another syringe.

"Well, good evening sister, you just saved me a lot of trouble."

When she saw the primal look on Kira's face, Cagalli instantly knew fear.

Rooted in place by her fear, Cagalli couldn't stop her brother from injecting the contents of the syringe into her arm, and in a few seconds she fell to the ground unconscious.

Cagalli groaned quietly as her eyes slowly fluttered open, she quickly discovered that she was now stripped of her clothes and shackled alongside Murrue on the bed, and in addition, her breasts felt like they were going to explode.

Cagalli quickly looked to her left and noticed that Kira was sitting next to the bed, silently watching her. Cagalli quickly felt her anger surge to the surface. "Kira, this can't happen between us. I'm your sister for God sake! You're my brother! It's unnatural! It's wrong! What's happened already is bad enough! I'm talking jail, ruin our lives type wrong! I have way too much to lose and so do you!"

"Remember when we hugged on the deck on the Archangel?" Kira asked, ignoring Cagalli's words.

"Kira, what are you saying?" Cagalli quickly asked, noticing that Kira now had a small smile on his face.

"Cagalli, there's been something that I've wanted to do since we met." Kira answered, as the expression on Cagalli's face instantly became one of seriousness as she asked. "What is it, Kira?"

"Cagalli, I want to be with you forever, I'm in love with you." Kira said.

Cagalli's eyes were now wide open as Kira continued. "Cagalli, I have been in love with you ever since we first met."

Kira smiled, not bothering to wait for a reply before he lowered his head to Cagalli's breasts, kissing them lightly, before then moving his lips to her pert nipples and sucking them tenderly.

Cagalli gasped as she thrust her chest forward, reacting to the touch, yearning for more as her head fell back. Kira slowly worked his way from her right nipple to her left, licking first, and then gently biting down on the pink flesh as Cagalli's voice growled in exquisite pleasure.

As Kira began to suck on Cagalli's breast, he was somewhat distressed as her now bloated nipple grudgingly gave up thin, watery fluid for several moments. Then, as Kira began sucking harder, he smiled as milk suddenly began to pour from Cagalli's nipple.

Kira and Cagalli both instantly plunged into a state of bliss, but after only a few short minutes they were both jolted from their pleasurable state as Murrue asked. "Kira Yamato, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

* * *

Thus, Chapter 10 is complete.

Well, Kira has seduced his sister and he has also uncovered one of Murrue's previously hidden fantasies. Not to mention the fact that he is becoming quite over-confident and arrogent while on the battlefield.


	11. A Bloodstained Sky

**The power to change the past - Chapter 11**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny, or Gundam 00, so please point that damned lawsuit cannon at someone else!

* * *

Kira took a moment to admire the beauty of both Cagalli and Murrue. He completely ignored Murrue's question as he smiled softly, crouched down and planted a soft kiss on her lips. When he broke the kiss, Murrue opened her mouth to protest, but Kira quickly slipped a gag into her mouth and tied it tightly behind her head. He then produced another gag and moved towards Cagalli, to his surprise, she willingly opened her mouth, allowing him to gag her without putting up any resistence.

A few days later, the Archangel and Archangel II, which had now been renamed; Rising Angel, majestically rose into the sky. Even at the present altitude, they were still in danger. Both Lohengrin cannons were deployed from the Archangel, already primed to fire.

Murrue felt the sweat on her brow, even though she already knew that the plan would work. "Fire!"

Both batteries fired a pair of positron beams straight into the sky. Seconds later, the two ships were enveloped in what could best be described as a glowing stream. The main engines and the spare boosters on both ships suddenly ignited with a surge of power, and a few seconds later, the two Archangel-class ships disappeared from sight.

As soon as they had reached Earth's orbit, the two Archangel-class ships sped off towards the abandoned L4 colony group. They were going to rendezvous with the Eternal and the Prometheus. The Eternal was currently in the docking bay of one of the PLANTs, and would soon be on its way towards the L4 colony group. The Prometheus, however, had been in the Mendel Colony's docking bay, hiding under the veil of its Mirage Colloid for the past few months.

As the ships sped towards the L4 colony group, Murrue had decided to talk with Kira and Cagalli about their relationship.

"Kira," Murrue said, smiling sweetly. "I honestly don't care if you want to bring Cagalli into our relationship." Murrue paused for a moment, then she gently wrapped an arm around the young blonde's waist, hugging her as she continued. "To be prefectly honest, I have always had an attraction to Cagalli."

Cagalli blushed, but to the surprise of both Murrue and Kira, she then planted a soft kiss on Murrue's cheek.

"Are you serious, Murrue?" Kira asked, after Cagalli had broken the kiss.. "You wouldn't mind?"

Murrue smiled, nodding as she replied. "Yes, I am serious, Kira, I wouldn't mind at all."

A short time later, with the Eternal secured, Andrew Waltfeld, whom had been released while the Archangel was in Orb, relaxed a bit more into his chair and looked at his pocket watch when he heard the opening and closing of doors.

"Sorry for the delay." Lacus floated onto the bridge after a quick change of wardrobe, accompanied by Pink. Gently floating to her chair overlooking Waltfeld and the command crew, Lacus was relieved on how things were turning out now.

"No worries, as long as you made it safely. So, should we make our exit?"

"Yes." As Pink squealed in the background, the bridge crew rapidly began preparing for their departure. The Eternal's engine array quickly came to life, each of her engines emitting a brilliant blue glow.

Lacus stared sternly out at the horizon ahead of them as the hangar personnel locked down the doors in frustration. "The security code to the main gate's control system was just changed."

"Hmm, what a clever bunch they are. They would have been better off leaving things alone. Now our exit is going to be a bit messier. It might get rough, so hang on."

Lacus nodded. "We really have no alternative, do we? The fact remains that its time to move forward."

"Main cannon, prepare to fire! Target primary gate! Fire as soon as we take off!" The Eternal's forward beam cannon raised slightly, targeted to fire a full-power shot at the main gate blocking their exit.

Looking back at Lacus, Waltfeld nodded with a smirk as Lacus said, determined, "Now Eternal, launch!" The ship's engines were fired at full power; simultaneously her forward beam cannon fired off a full-power shot at the space gate, blowing it apart.

Making her exit, the ship continued forward at full thrust, the Eternal was on her way.

An hour later, the three ships had been fully secured and docked inside the abandoned Mednel Colony. Now all that was needed was for some sort of strategy to be made. Both Mu and Waltfeld now discussed what information they knew about their impromptu base.

"This colony was abandoned because of some biohazard threat, right?" Waltfeld asked.

"Yeah, I heard a lot about the so-called Mendel Incident." Mu said, "I know quite a few people made a fuss about it, but its abandonment might be the reason it's escaped with the least damage. This'll be a perfect place to pitch our camp."

The two then rounded a corner and entered the Archangel's bridge, where inside a meeting of crewmembers of all three ships was underway. Lacus was, at that point, reporting on what she and her supporters had learned.

"Our immediate concern right now is most likely the moon." She explained, "I hear that now that the Earth Forces have recaptured Victoria, they've been continually sending up both troops and material."

That was a piece of troubling news, as it meant that the Earth Alliance would be sending their own mobile suits to the frontlines in outer space. But there was another possible threat.

"You think they're planning an all out attack on the PLANTs themselves?" Murrue asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"It's something a lot of the top leaders in the Alliance have wanted to do right from the very start of this war." Waltfeld grimly said and then sneered. "'For the preservation of our blue and pure world.'"

"Let's not start with that." Mu snapped.

"Hey, their words, not mine." Waltfeld shrugged, "Honestly I cannot see how they think killing all Coordinators would lead to a so-called pure world. Hell, I don't even know what a 'pure world' is supposed to mean. But I do know how the people on the PLANTs feel about being attacked for such an inconceivable reason."

"On the other hand," Waltfeld further explained, "the ones currently leading the PLANTs look down on Naturals as nothing but vermin. They do have every right to defend themselves from attacks, and then retaliate. But the question remains on how long the cycle continues."

Murrue glanced down to the floor. "We live in such cruel and troubling times."

Kira rolled his eyes slightly, his recently discovered joy of fighting as well as his anger, slipping into his words as he glared at Murrue and said. "Well, maybe if _someone_ would have let me waltz onto the battlefield with my METEOR unit, as well as a few dozen nuclear missiles loaded into said METEOR unit, this war would've ended already."

Murrue glared at Kira before then floating over to him and slapping him hard across the cheek. "If you had used nukes it would have only made the war worse and you know it!"

Shinn, along with his parents and sister, merely shook their heads as they watched the exchange between Kira and Murrue. Shinn had rescued his family during the battle for Orb, and when he had told them the truth, they had all decided to go with him and to help in whatever way they could. They had all lost friends and family to the war, and they wanted to put a stop it.

Meanwhile, the new Archangel-class ship Dominion along with the Agamemnon-class flagship, Schwarzkopf continued towards their destination. It was during this time that Natarle looked up the records of her four newest soldiers. However, there wasn't very much apart from the names and levels of enhancements implants, ranging from stages two to four, and what machine each operated. All personal information had long been deleted. But what disturbed her most was that all four were listed as biological CPUs, and not as pilots. That could mean that they were seen as expendable equipment. She wondered where they came from and what sort of training they had undergone.

"How much longer before we reach L4?"

Natarle looked over her shoulder to find Azrael approaching from behind. "We're almost there. However, I must admit that I'm still not convinced that we should even be going there without any solid proof."

"My sources are never wrong." Azrael replied with smug confidence, "That is more than enough."

"But that information is also from the PLANTs." She argued, "This could very well be a trap."

Azrael then narrowed his eyes. "The Freedom and the Justice, those are the codenames of the two mobile suits. I'm very interested in them." he coldly said, "There are also three Nazca-class ships heading for L4, so that shows that there is something there. We cannot afford to miss a chance such as this, and that's the reason we're going." He leaned in closer to her. "And so that we're on the same page, you may be the captain of this ship, but ranking above you are those people who look at thing with a broader perspective, who then make the appropriate decisions based on that. You've been told to take my suggestions, correct?"

Natarle fought back an angry retort. "Yes, sir."

"Good, I hope you don't forget that fact." With that, Azrael then left the bridge.

Natarle didn't approve of someone like Azrael being on board what was her ship to command. Someone like him breathing down her neck could possibly lead to a disaster if they went into combat.

A few hours later, the Dominion and Schwarzkopf had come within sight of Mendel. Both ships slowed and began to observe the colony structure, while remaining outside the sensor perimeter of the colony.

"Captain, we've got three signal silhouettes." An officer informed, "Two are unknowns, but one is confirmed to be the Archangel."

"Load missile tubes one through four with jamming shells." Natarle commanded, "Fire on my order."

The jamming shells functioned in the same manner as chaff grenades. Upon detonation, they would scatter pieces of a foil like material that would temporarily interfere with sensory equipment.

"Jamming shells?" Azrael sneered, "Why waste time using those useless things?"

Natarle sighed. "We're going to use them to mask our approach, thereby allowing us to corner them and therefore ensuring we can capture the two precious machines you want so badly." She then to her CIC officer, "Get me the Schwarzkopf."

Quickly following her orders, the officer hurried to make contact with the second ship. Captain Rojas' face filled the screen.

"Captain Rojas, we're going to launch a barrage of jamming shells. Once our ordnance is fired, that will be when we move forward."

"Understood." Rojas answered, "We're let you take lead, Dominion."

"Fire the jamming shells." Natarle ordered. Seconds later, four smaller cylinders streaked away from the ship. When the exploded, it meant that the Dominion and Schwarzkopf would likely have a free run at the colony's hanger bay, thereby cutting off the ships with. She watched as one by one, each of the shells exploded in white and yellow flashes.

On the Archangel, Sai was watching his console, when the screen suddenly became fuzzy. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Something's wrong with the sensors." His fingers tapped keys as he tried to see if the problem could be corrected, but to no avail.

"Captain, all sensors appear to be malfunctioning." Chandra said, "I don't know what is causing this."

"It has to be jamming shells." Murrue said, "Someone knows we're here." Without any hesitation, she leaped from her chair, glancing at Meyrin as she floated towards the door. "I'm going to launch in the Strike Freedom. Meyrin, you're in command until I get back."

Natarle saw the Archangel emerge from the colony. She suddenly remembered her last conversation with her former commanding officer. While they didn't part on the best of terms, she felt that Murrue would be reasonable and decided to give a final chance to her former shipmates. She picked up the comlink and opened a channel. "This is the Earth Alliance Forces' mobile assault ship, Dominion. Archangel, do you read me?"

Everyone on board the Archangel gasped in shock at the sound of the familiar voice.

"Currently your ship is listed as a renegade vessel by the Alliance high command." Natarle continued, "We demand your immediate and unconditional surrender. If you fail to abide, you will be fired upon. What is your answer?"

Murrue scoffed within the cockpit of the Strike Freedom Gundam, as her former subordinate's face appeared on the main screen. "It's been a long time, Natarle."

"Yes, it has indeed." Natarle replied, "I am now acting under the orders of Captain Sutherland to bring the Archangel and its crew into custody, and that also goes for the two ships stationed with you." She paused. "While I cannot promise anything, I can at least see to it that you and the crew of the Archangel will receive a fair trial, but that's only if you surrender willingly."

Murrue snorted at Natarle's words as the Strike Freedom Gundam, which was holding a twin barreled buster rifle in its right hand, was flung from the port-side catapult and out into space. She knew that neither she nor anyone else would get a fair trial, what with Sutherland's influence looming. Any trial would be a mockery of justice, if there even was one.

"Kira Yamato, 000 Gundam; ready to kick the ass of any who challenge me!" Kira let out a high-pitched shriek as the 000 Gundam, which was holding a twin barreled buster rifle in its right hand, was flung from the port side catapult and out into space.

"I'm on the highway to Hell!" Kira began to sing along with the music of AC-DC, which was playing at full blast within to cockpit of the 000 Gundam as he streaked out of the Archangel's starboard-side catapult.

As the 000 Gundam pulled up beside the Strike Freedom, Kira opened a communications line. "Murrue, would you mind if I broadcast my music to the Dominion? I feel that it's appropriate for them."

Murrue nodded and replied. "Highway to Hell, huh? Good choice, Kira. But to answer your question; I don't have any problems with you broadcasting your music to that ship. Actually, it's quite appropriate, since everyone on that ship is on the highway to Hell."

Kira couldn't help but nod in agreement, as he streaked towards the Dominion. He suddenly stopped when a Gundam suddenly flew out of the starboard side catapult. The machine, which had just launched from the Dominion, resembled the Calamity Gundam, but the pair of beam cannons which were mounted on the back of the Calamity had been replaced with a pair of anti-ship swords, Kira was quick to recognize the machine as a Sword Calamity Gundam.

"EAT SHIT AND DIE!!!" Kira screamed as he fired a full burst into the enemy machine. The rail gun shells, being physical projectiles, violently rocked the Sword Calamity, but the beam blasts from the dual plasma cannons and the now seperated twin buster rifle, seared through the machine's arms, legs and head, disabling it with a single volley.

In the cockpit of the Strike Freedom Gundam, Murrue shook her head as she fired her own twin buster rifle at the Dominion's engines, vaproizing them within a blindingly bright column of yellow energy. As Murrue moved away from the now crippled enemy ship, she said. "Kira, you are way too overconfident..."

Kira smirked as he replied. "Why shouldn't I be? Nothing in this timeline can hope to beat me."

Murrue raised an eyebrow. Now she was sure that Kira was becoming too overconfident.

As the Dominion continued to spit machine gun fire and beam blasts at them, Kira recombined his rifles, he then raised the weapon and pulled the trigger. The blast sliced through the hanger bays and even though it didn't hit anywhere near the bridge, it still succeeded in silencing the Dominion's weapons.

"I can render you into your component particles any time I want, but I'm not going to unless you really piss me off. I'm just that good and I don't miss on accident." Kira snarled through the open-channel communications line as the 000 Gundam manuvered so that it now hovered directly in front of the Dominion's bridge.

"Now then," Kira said, as he aimed his twin buster rifle at the Dominion's bridge. "You have two choices; you either surrender, or we kill you."

Suddenly the Dominion's port-side Gottfried swiveled towards the Strike Freedom Gundam before then opening fire, the twin beam blasts streaking towards the Strike Freedom. Murrue's eyes widened in horror as she ignited her beam shields. The beam shield only blocked the blast for a few seconds, but it was enough time for Murrue to seperate the Strike Freedom's chest and legs from each other, allowing her to escapse in the X-02 Wyvern.

The X-02 Wyvern was a mass production fighter aircraft, built exclusively by Celestial Being. The X-02 Wyvern was so advanced, that it was actually classified as a super-fighter.

Super-fighter was a very appropaite classification for the Wyvern, as it was armed with two 20mm beam machine guns in the nose, six Vega missiles, which were stored within internal weapons bays on the underside of the craft, in addition to the beam machine guns and Vega missiles, the Wyvern also carried a beam blade on both the leading and trailing edges of each wing, a rear-facing Hyper Impulse Cannon in the tail, between the engine exhausts, a single rail gun, which was stored on the underside of the fuselage and a pair of advanced micro-missile launchers on the top of the fuselage. The micro-missile lauchers, which were affectionetly known as "Blitz Missiles" were capable of destroying both air and ground targets at the same time. Each time the weapon was fired, it would launch a total of twelve GN missiles.

Even with the Wyvern's considerable firepower, it was far from defenseless, as it was protected by the recently developed Mirror Coated Phase Shift armor and could also generate a GN field.

Kira snarled in anger as the X-02 Wyvern streaked back towards the Archangel. But then he noticed a mobile suit which had launched from the Dominion. It appeared to be a Dagger, but unlike the normal Dagger, this one sported an Agni Cannon on each shoulder, a beam saber on each hip, a pair of head-mounted Vulcan guns, and a pair of machine cannons in its chest.

Kira quickly scanned the machine and was shocked to find that Muruta Azrael was the pilot.

Before Azrael could even line the 000 Gundam up in his sights, Kira fired a full burst from his weapons. Azrael watched in shock and amazement as the 000 Gundam shot off a volley from its weapons, hitting the arms and legs of his machine, to which Azrael remarked, "What the hell, how the hell can he _always_ hit our machines, it's like there's some cheap God who's allowing him to have constant God-mode on!"

Because of the constant stream of fire from the 000 Gundam, Azrael's Dagger was damaged to the point of temporary disrepair only a few seconds after he had launched. As soon as the Dagger had been completely disabled, Kira combined his beam rifles, holding them in his right hand, while holding the twin buster rifle in his left.

"As I said before," Kira repeated, through the still open-channel communications line as he once again raised the twin buster rifle, this time pointing it at the cockpit of the Dagger. "Surrender or I will kill you."

Kira then noticed something that he thought he would never have to see in his lifetime: an attempted repeat of the World Trade Center ramming incident that he had researched when he was a tech college student, only this craft was a military transport shuttle, not a civilian transport aircraft, and it was aimed at the Eternal, not a building.

"No you don't, you asshole!" Kira shouted in clear fury at seeing the shuttle try to ram the ship. Without taking his eyes off of the disabled Dagger mobile suit, Kira fired his now combined beam rifles. The beam blast from his combined beam rifle drilled through the shuttle, at an angle from low on the starboard-side through to high on the port-side. Immediately, the shuttle's port-side engines began flaming wildly and the craft began flying erraticaly, causing it to miss the Eternal. Within moments the shuttle's left wing sheared from the rest of the body and it began spiraling through the blackness, only to be engulfed by a blast from Kira's twin buster rifle seconds later.

"Holy shit, Kira, who pissed in your Wheaties today?" Yzak Joule asked in clear shock from within the cockpit of the Duel Gundam, as he shot down an approaching Strike Dagger.

The Duel, along with the Destiny Gundam, the Infinite Justice Gundam, the Aegis Gundam, the Strike Gundam, the Strike Rouge and the Akatsuki, had been assigned to provide cover for the Archangel, the Eternal, the Prometheus and the Rising Angel.

Meanwhile, the ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam rumbled out of the hanger of the Vesalius and into the blackness of space. The ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam was a completely new machine which was covered with dull grey Phase Shift armor. Like the ZGMF-X09A Justice Gundam and the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam, both of which had been stolen by Celestial Being, the ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam utilized technology from the stolen Earth Alliance mobile suits as well as the lastest ZAFT technologies. One of the most advanced ZAFT technologies which had been used in the Providence Gundam was the DRAGOON System, which allowed the pilot to operate remotely controlled turrets which were mounted on the Providence Gundam's backpack.

The Providence Gundam was followed a few seconds later by the ZGMF-X12A Testament Gundam, which had been equipped with the AQM/E-X05 Divine Striker. The Testament Gundam was analogous to the Alliance's GAT-X105 Strike Gundam, and it bore a similar color shceme as well.

Steadily cruising beside the the Vesalius, was the ZGMF-X11A Regenrate Gundam, currently in its mobile armor mode. The ZGMF-X11A Regenrate Gundam was a transformable machine, which had been based on the Alliance's captured GAT-X303 Aegis Gundam, and with a height of more than 35 meters, the Regenerate Gundam was truly massive. Unlike the Aegis Gundam, the Regenerate Gundam bore a tacky looking purple, black and yellow color scheme.

"Three machines approaching!" Sai shouted, looking at his console, "One Nazca-class and two unknowns!"

Murrue sighed as she almost casually replied. "Send Kira out, tell him to hand those three machines their asses on a silver platter."

"Kira Yamato, 000 Gundam, launching!" Kira announced a moment later, letting out an ear-peircing shriek as his machine was blasted into space.

Rau Le Creuset's eyes widened in shock when a blindingly bright beam of yellow energy suddenly engulfed the Regenerate Gundam, obliterating it an instant later in a massive explosion.

Despite his insanity, even Rau Le Creuset was able to realize when he was out matched. "All remaining machines are hereby ordered to retreat. It is obvious that our enemy has abilities which they have been hiding."

Kira scowled at the Providence Gundam at it sped away, he didn't care about the Vesalius, or that cheap knock off of the Strike. Kira wanted Rau Le Creuset to either stop trying to exterminate humanity, or to see him dead. With a sigh of frustration, Kira returned the twin buster rifle to its storage rack on his machine's back and boosted towards the Archangel.

* * *

And so, Chapter 11 is complete.

The final battle of the war is fast approaching.

Kira is as arrogant and over-confident as ever, so maybe something will happen to make him realize that despite his advantages, he's not God, not yet at least.

* * *

**AS ALWAYS, PLEASE REVIEW AND FEEL FREE TO OFFER ANY IDEAS!**


	12. Battlefield of Tears

**The power to change the past - Chapter 12**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny, or Gundam 00, so please point that damned lawsuit cannon at someone else!

* * *

"Catapult online. Starting launching sequence. Hatch open. Catapult all green. 000 Gundam, you are cleared to launch!" Miriallia said as Kira put both hands on the control yolks, and the starboard catapult doors opened.

"Kira Yamato, 000 Gundam, launching!" The pilot of 000 Gundam announced as the machine blasted off into space.

It was called GENESIS, a giant Gamma ray laser. This massive structure was the sole surviving space fortress and super weapon of ZAFT. A fleet was arrayed before it, a massive armada of blue and green, curved, almost alien-looking warships; and before that fleet was another fleet, its ships more conventionally shaped and colored in nondescript grays, distinctly the enemy's. There was a battle going on, flashes of green beam fire and missiles and machine gun fire filled the black sky, explosions tore apart space, and people died.

The beam shots flashed by as Athrun Zala's Infinite Justice Gundam, nestled within the menacing confines of its METEOR support system, roared towards the fortress. Atop the Infinite Justice Gundam's subflight lifter, crouched Cagalli Yula Athha's Akatsuki Gundam, and to Athrun's left was Shinn Asuka's Destiny Gundam, also protected in a METEOR.

Somewhere behind him, Athrun heard the duel between the Archangel and the Dominion draw to a close. An Earth Alliance Strike Dagger charged towards the Eternal, but Mu La Flaga's Aile Strike Gundam took it down with a shot from its beam rifle.

Meanwhile, the Providence was speeding towards the Akatsuki, the Destiny and the Infinite Justice.

"Watch out!" Athrun suddenly shouted, as the Infinite Justice deployed its beam shield. Shinn deployed his beam shield as well, while Cagalli, whom was in the cockpit of the Akatsuki, threw her physical shield to the defense. An instant later, a pair of thick powerful beam blasts slammed into them from the approaching Providence Gundam.

"Justice?" Le Creuset asked, shocked.

"Commander Le Creuset?" Athrun asked from the cockpit of the Infinite Justice Gundam.

"Athrun, I thought that you were dead." Le Creuset said.

"No, he isn't dead, but you will be soon!" Murrue interrupted, as the Epyon Gundam suddenly came screaming in, slashing at the Providence with its beam sword. However, to the surprise of everyone, Le Creuset dodged the slash, but just barely.

The Providence somersaulted over Epyon's head, but Murrue whipped around, swinging at the Providence's waist. It darted backward, firing its CIWS, but Murrue took cover behind her beam shield, before then rocketing up above the Providence and pummeling it with a hail of shells from the hip mounted rail guns.

Kira scowled as he seized the 000 Gundam's two beam boomerangs off its shoulder racks and hurled them down at the approaching Daggers. As they veered aside to avoid the twirling blades, Kira picked off four more Daggers at his leisure with his beam rifle before they could return their attention to the 000 Gundam, and as they came blazing back up towards him, the boomerangs arced back, slicing through two more Daggers. Kira snorted in disgust as he retrieved his beam boomerangs and lunged down into their ranks with a scream, drawing both of his hip-mounted beam sabers and cleaving through another pair of Daggers before they could react, while the remaining six machines pulled back

Kira growled, as a furious desire to protect his friends, family and the entire human race quickly built inside of him until the vision of a purple seed exploded inside his head, . In an instant, Kira's eyes had faded into the washed out glaze of a SEED possessed individual. Once again, his eyes were glowing with a bright golden light, while purple and black swirled in his pupils almost as though a tornado was confined within each of his eyes

As the Providence Gundam came within range, Kira grinned sadistically within the cockpit of the 000 Gundam and shouted. "I already know what will happen; I'm from five years in the future! You can't beat me!"

"You can't be from the future. That's impossible. Humanity dies today! It's supposed to end here and now!" Le Creuset shouted in a delirious rant as he ignited a beam saber.

"You're wrong!" Kira screamed, shaking his head.

Le Creuset lined up three of his DRAGOONs, aiming at possible vulnerabilities. However, the 000 Gundam was far too quick; it dodged effortlessly and deflected the beams while taking a couple of shots with its combined beam rifle to destroy the remote weapons. Another DRAGOON fired at his back but was instantly destroyed as the blast reflected off the 000 Gundam's armor.

Le Creuset slammed his foot on the thrust to gain altitude but the 000 Gundam caught up with him almost instantly, slashing away the Providence's legs with its beam sword.

Enraged, Le Creuset whirled the Providence around and accelerated backwards, covering his retreat with a hail of beam fire from his DRAGOONs which began blasting away at the 000 Gundam to little effect due to its beam shields and recently installed Mirror Coated Phase Shift armor.

"It doesn't matter what you do Kira! When Jachin self-destructs, GENESIS will fire! There's no way the process can be stopped now. Earth will burn and the ensuing cries of the victims will trigger battle anew. This will be a day of reckoning for everyone!" Le Creuset announced.

"I won't allow it, you faggot!" Kira screamed his rage and arrogance slowly beginning to eat away at him and cloud his judgment.

"This is their destiny! They led us to the inevitable end!" Le Creuset argued. "You even helped bring this about, boy."

"You're wrong! You don't understand anything, you stupid fuck!" Kira snarled as he severed the Providence's backpack with his beam saber.

Le Creuset watched in horror as his own DRAGOON units suddenly assembled themselves around the 000 Gundam, before then docking on the machine's wings.

Kira growled as he returned the beam saber to its storage rack in his left elbow, he then separated his combined beam rifles and stored them on the Gundam's hips before finally freeing and igniting a large beam sword from his right hip, while simultaneously freeing the twin buster rifle from his back, completing all of these actions within a single second.

Le Creuset was astounded by the sheer power of this new mobile suit. Before he could formulate a counterattack or, more likely, an escape, the 000 Gundam appeared directly ahead, beam sword in its right hand, twin buster rifle in the left, aimed directly at the cockpit of the Providence.

"This fight ends now! Your shitty mobile suit is completely disabled," Kira explained.

"All this time...you've been holding back. Why?" Le Creuset stalled, beginning to initiate the Providence's self-destruct sequence.

"You can't self-destruct. I'm jamming your electronics," Kira said in disgust.

Le Creuset slammed his fist into the keypad in frustration. "Are you going to kill me now, then?"

Behind the crippled Providence, the shaft of GENESIS could clearly be seen.

"The last time I fought you, you died here. I killed you. Your murderous plan failed and everyone forgot you, except me, that is." Kira began.

"At least I succeeded in making your life miserable." Le Creuset spewed venomously.

"Just listen to me, you dumb shit!" Kira screamed, his blood boiling. "Right now, I'm offering you a choice, a second chance! Take off your mask! Forget your hatred, work for the betterment of humanity, instead of its destruction; make something worthwhile out of your unfortunate life!" Kira paused for a few short seconds, just long enough to calm down, and then he calmly asked. "What do you say?"

Le Creuset looked wearily at the cockpit monitor toward the sleepy blue Earth. He sighed. "If I refuse, you'll kill me?" he asked weakly.

"If you continue to try to kill more innocent people and destroy the Earth or the PLANTs, then yes, I will kill you...in order to save the rest of humanity," Kira replied.

"They're hardly innocent," Le Creuset muttered under his breath. He sighed again. After a moment of silence, he sighed yet again, and then he took off his helmet and undid his seat belt. Looking down, he saw the open control and an odd smile came to his face.

"Never!" he shouted and punched in the control. The cockpit opened and Le Creuset was instantly sucked out into the vacuum of space, laughing maniacally.

"What a dumbass." Kira stoically muttered as he returned his weapons to their storage racks and zoomed away.

As Kira zoomed back towards the Archangel, his radio crackled to life. However, instead of hearing only one voice, he heard two, those of Cagalli and Murrue. Kira could instantly tell that they were both still fighting, and were both struggling as they spoke. "Could I get some backup?!"

Kira instantly replied. "Cagalli, Murrue, where are you?"

"We're being double-teamed by the Strike Freedom and Infinite Justi-" Cagalli replied, before the communications line suddenly went down.

Suddenly, Kira saw two large explosions in the distance and as he streaked towards the now fading flashes of light, he heard Murrue's voice over the communications line. Even over the communications line, Kira could tell that Murrue's voice was very weak and that her breathing was coming in ragged, labored breaths. "I forgive you, live your life well, and when the time comes; find our children."

"But, I killed you. If only I had protected you." Kira said, before he saw a third explosion, one that was so bright that he was forced to shield his eyes. When he opened his eyes a few seconds later, he could see Murrue floating in front of him, completely naked, her entire body glowing with a white light as she smiled lovingly at him.

"It's not your fault that I fought." Murrue softly said, as she gently wrapped her arms around Kira. "Live your life and love Cagalli. Do this for me. Goodbye, my love." With those words, she vanished, once again leaving Kira alone in the cockpit of his machine.

Kira glowered at the Freedom Gundam as the cockpit of the 000 Gundam was suddenly bathed in a nearly blindingly bright yellow light, in the same instant, the Wings of Light flared to life and the Trans-Am System activated. The pilot of the Freedom watched in terror as the 000 Gundam suddenly began to glow with a bright, blood red light, as its wings snapped open and a plane of pink energy flared between them.

"I WILL KILL YOU ALL!!!" Kira screamed as he unleashed his DRAGOONs, the remote weapons leaving blindingly bright trails of afterimages behind them as they shot from the 000 Gundam's back and swarmed around the Freedom. Kira snarled as his DRAGOONs began to pummel the Freedom, but they didn't fire on it, instead they continuously rammed the enemy machine.

After about ten seconds, Kira flew at the Freedom, grabbing it, before then activating the "Tranquility" Directed Neutron Disabler in the palms of his machine. After only a few seconds, the Freedom Gundam's N-Jammer Canceller burned out, causing the machine to shut down, its Phase Shift armor reverting to the dull grey of its powered down state, while also plunging the cockpit into complete darkness.

Kira screamed in rage as he then began to punch the now defenseless Freedom Gundam, hammering the 000 Gundam's fists into the torso of the powered down machine. As he continued to beat on the Freedom Gundam, he heard the voice of the pilot, as he spoke over the International Distress Channel.

"Please don't kill me!" The pilot begged.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT! FIRST YOU KILL MY WIFE AND NOW YOU BEG ME TO LET YOU LIVE?!" Kira screamed in anger, as he continued to pound relentlessly on the disabled machine, before then grabbing it and throwing it at an approaching squadron of Strike Daggers, and as the Strike Daggers moved to dodge, Kira sniped them with his DRAGOON units.

As the now crippled Freedom Gundam spewed sparks, Kira pounded his fists into the Gundam's exposed innards, ripping it apart. The nearby mobile suits quickly pulled back, hiding behind their shields as an ear-shattering roar was suddenly heard over the communications line.

Suddenly the 000 Gundam freed and ignited a beam saber, and Kira laughed as slowly sliced the Freedom Gundam in half, from the botto up. Kira relished the sounds of the enemy pilot screaming in terror, begging for his life as Kira slowly dragged the beam saber through the cockpit.

Kira laughed the Freedom Gundam exploded in a firebal, then he raised the twin buster rifle in his left hand, unleashing a massive energy beam on the nearby Strike Daggers, wiping them from existence. He then noticed the twin buster rifle from the Epyon Gundam floating nearby, he quickly grabbed the weapon and sped towards the Earth Alliance fleet.

"YOU ARE ALL DEAD!" Kira screamed as the 000 Gundam, with a twin buster rifle in each hand, slalomed through the hailstorm of fire. Kira screamed again as he opened fire with both rifles, wiping out the Alliance fleet in only a few seconds. He then sped off towards the ZAFT fleet, which was now retreating.

"YOU AREN'T GETTING AWAY EITHER!!" Kira roared as he lunged into the middle of the ZAFT fleet and once again unleashed the hellish firepower from both of the twin buster rifles. As with the Earth Alliance fleet, it only took Kira a few seconds to completely wipe the ZAFT fleet from existence.

Kira glared over his left shoulder when a pair of beam blasts suddenly shot by him, raising an eyebrow when he saw a machine, which resembled the Strike Gundam. However, Kira's computer had identified the machine as the Strike Noir, which was a copy of the Strike Gundam.

As the 000 Gundam turned its pure white eyes on the Strike Noir, the pilot glared in frustration at his shimmering foe, leveling off both of his beam pistols and opening fire. The 000 Gundam effortlessly danced around the shots, as though they weren't there, putting the twin buster rifle which was in its right hand on its back as it dodged the beam blasts, before then igniting a beam sword and swinging it wildly. The pilot of the Strike Noir sent his machine pitching backward desperately.

"He'd tear apart reinforcements." The pilot grunted, ducking another sword blow and streaking away with a flash of exhaust.

"STOP RUNNING AND FIGHT ME YOU FUCKING COWARDS!!!" Kira roared as he raised the twin buster rifle, which he still held in his left hand and fired, enveloping the Strike Noir in a brightly glowing column of yellow energy, vaporizing the enemy machine.

As he continued to destroy the remaining enemy forces, Kira had to fight to keep from blacking out, but maybe he did, as it no longer seemed like he was himself anymore.

Instead, images rushed past his head, people he didn't recognize, events that he had never seen. All around, destruction loomed. Masses of metal, countless numbers of mobile suits, some similar to his own, were in various degrees of damage, some nothing more than smoldering piles of metal. Large black mobile suits tromped across the earth, units without souls…obliterating everything programmed as an enemy.

The scene changed to outer space, where two large armies were just about to collide in what was thought of as the war to end all wars. The death toll grew increasingly staggering, suddenly a large battleship known as the Libra prepared to ram itself into the Earth, plunging everything into nuclear winter.

The scene changed again, and this time, Kira watched as two mobile suits battled, even as the fighting stopped. One was the white, red and blue mobile suit known as Wing Gundam Zero, the other, a red and black mobile suit which Kira instantly recognized as the Epyon Gundam. The two machines rushed through the gigantic halls of the battleship Libra, never giving up, refusing to submit even if they died in the process.

In the last scene Kira watched as he stepped out of a mobile suit that looked similar to the 000 Gundam and pressed a button in his hand. Suddenly, the machine exploded, sending him flying into the air. Kira knew exactly what he had done in that vision.

"No!!!" Kira screamed again as his conscious self plunged into darkness, the last thing he heard was Murrue's voice from the shadows.

After Kira blacked out, Shinn rescued Cagalli, and Athrun had moved to rescue Murrue, who miraculously survived. However, Athrun had been cut off by a pair of Strike Daggers, which had moved to fight him, allowing one of the few remaining Earth Alliance ships to recover the remains of the Epyon Gundam.

* * *

Chapter 12 is complete...

Celestial Being has brought the First Bloody Valentine War to and end, but it was not without sacrifice.

It's not over yet; since the Second Bloody Valentine War is only two years away, but before that the survivors must pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.

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**AS ALWAYS, PLEASE REVIEW AND FEEL FREE TO OFFER ANY IDEAS!**


	13. Epilouge

**The power to change the past - Epilouge**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny, or Gundam 00, so please point that damned lawsuit cannon at someone else!

* * *

It was over. It was finally over. GENESIS was a field of radioactive debris. Both sides were too exhausted and shattered to fight. There was nothing left but peace.

Inside the Akatsuki Gundam, Cagalli sighed as she finally, after nearly six hours of searching, detected the the 000 Gundam on her sensor systems. The 000 Gundam was charred and pitted and blackened but still whole, as it aimlessly drifted in space. She moved towards it and found Kira still alive, quietly weeping.

"Murrue," Kira murmured mournfully, as the 000 Gundam drifted, its power systems and by extention, its Mirror Coated Phase Shift armor flickering ocasionally. "Murrue...why..."

"Kira," Cagalli spoke, gently, paternally. Kira opened his tear-brimmed eyes, but he barely glanced at the golden form of the approaching Akatsuki. "Kira, please stay with me."

"Stay...with you?" Kira asked, it was obvious that the ZERO System had taken quite a toll on both his mind and his body, as he was exhausted.

"Kira, please stay with me," Cagalli said soothingly. Kira looked back at Cagalli with cloudy eyes.

"Stay with me, Kira," Cagalli went on. "You and I are the same. I know what you're experiencing, we can help each other." The Akatsuki extended its hand. Kira hesitated, staring at the outstretched mobile suit hand. Kira stared at the Akatsuki's hand for a moment, and then took it. Cagalli smiled slightly as the Akatsuki and the 000 Gundam rocketed towards the Archangel.

When Murrue opened her eyes, a few days later, she saw that she was not in her Gundam but in a hospital room. When she tried to remeber the previous events, flashes of pain shot through her head. All she could remember was her name, the fact that she was a pilot, and Kira. The door opened and a doctor walked into the room, a clip board in his hand.

"Good afternoon, Captain Ramius," the doctor said.

"Good afternoon doctor, where am I?" Murrue asked.

The doctor looked up from his the clipboard, shocked to see that she was awake.

"You're at Bethesda Naval Hospital in the Atlantic Federation Capitol, Captain."

Murrue was puzzled. Why was she in the Atlantic Federation? The last thing she remembered was being in space, suddenly she gasped. "Kira! Where is Kira?"

"Kira? As in Ensign Kira Yamato? According to the recent gossip he defected to Orb, something about marrying a princess."

"He did what?"

"He ran off to Orb and is going to marry Princess Cagalli Yula Attha."

Murrue looked down at her bed, various emotions flickering across her face; pain, betrayal, hatred. "That damned Coordinator, I thought he loved me, but he abandoned me for the blonde-haired bitch!" The doctor hid a smirk as he silently left the room.

"For the preservation of our Blue and Pure World," he said as he walked through the dark halls of the underground base.

* * *

Sorry for how short the Epilouge is...anyway, there is still Destiny which I have decided to rename as; Gundam SEED Eternity.

Gundam SEED Eternity will be a very dramatic change from Gundam SEED Destiny, which is part of the reason that I decided to rename it.

I should have the first chapter of Gundam SEED Eternity posted soon.

* * *

**AS ALWAYS, PLEASE REVIEW AND FEEL FREE TO OFFER ANY IDEAS!**


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